Humba is a dish popular in the southern parts of the Philippines – the Visayas and most part of Mindanao. Reason why sometimes it is referred to as Adobong Bisaya. Humba is a Visayan slow-cooked sweet pork dish based on the Chinese dish “Hong-ba” (red-braised pork belly). The taste resembles pork adobo and hamonado, the only exception however is that it uses fermented black soybeans (tausi).
Humba was invented to preserve meat for future use by cooking the meat in vinegar. This cooking process lengthens the shelf life of the meat to several days without refrigeration especially if submerged in its own oil.
You may also try our 2nd version of Pork Humba in this link.
HUMBA (BRAISED PORK BELLY W/ SUGAR)
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds pork belly, sliced into large pieces
1 cup pineapple juice
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fermented black beans (tausi)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 pieces dried bay leaves
1 teaspon whole black peppercorns
1 piece star anise
Dried banana blossoms (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a pot. Cook until meat is tender, lowering heat to simmer. Remove scum that rises to the top.
(Depending on your preference you can cook until dry and then brown the meat in its own rendered fat).
My family likes plenty adobo sauce so I did not completely reduce the liquid. I transferred the pork pieces in an oven-safe dish and browned them in the oven for 20 minutes or you can brown them in a frying pan. Make sure to toast the skin side down the pan. I then returned the meat to the sauce. Serve and enjoy!
