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Pork Pochero with Tomato Sauce

While it may sound redundant, POCHERO is in part of the country (Visayas) basically is like pork nilaga and is cooked mostly without tomato or tomato sauce.

Simple Pochero with Tomato Sauce


It is just pork cooked with saba (cooking bananas) and cabbage. For a simpler version, it is just pork, saba and kamote tops. Though at times, one may add potatoes and carrots with cabbage or pechay.

Sometimes to make it look and taste like the original Spanish dish, the addition of tomato sauce on this simple Visayan recipe does the trick. A simple fusion (or is it confusion?) dish is made.



So let's make a very Simple Pochero with Tomato Sauce, before we get totally confused.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 kilo pork
  • 5 saba, halved
  • 2 medium potatoes, quartered
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced
  • 5 stalks pechay, washed
  • 5 string beans, sliced 2 inches long,optional
  • 1 cup tomato sauce, adjust
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • Broth cubes, optional, according to taste
  • Water, adjust



How to make Pochero Ilonggo

  1. Wash clean the pork and slice into bite size pieces.
  2. In a pot, boil pork until tender then slow boil. Remove accumulated scum on the surface. You may also discard it and use a a clean batch of water.
  3. Add potatoes, carrots, string beans and saba. Cook until desired tenderness.
  4. Add tomato sauce ans adjust thickness with water.
  5. Season according to taste using salt, pepper, broth cubes. You may also use sugar to tame the tomato sauce's tanginess.
  6. Finally, add pechay and simmer until cooked.
The measurements are just guides in this recipe. And you can cook according to your taste. You may also add/combine Baguio beans ane bellpeppers plus use cabbage or wombok. You may also use beef or chicken and make changes on the vegetable inclusion.



This is a very versatile recipe that you can cook using ingredients in the fridge or pantry. Enjoy!

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