Paksiw Na Pata

Pata is pork leg or pork shank or hock and paksiw is a dish cooked in vinegar.

I am going to say that this is another one of my favorites.  I’m sure you will notice I call almost all of the dishes here as my favorite.  But I really like this dish and  I asked for this dish often when I was still in the Philippines or to visit.  My aunt Choleng who raised me as her own cooked this for me when I would come to visit her.

Some people call a dish like this HUMBA. Similar but not the same. I think Humba is from another region, the Visayan region.

The recipe here is for a whole leg but not including the ham or the thigh (sliced through the bone) that I bought at an Asian market.  Sometimes I find fresh pork shanks (or hocks) at the regular grocery store and usually there are only 3 large pieces in the package.  So you need to adjust the recipe below.

It is the pork skin on the leg that makes this dish so good. When it is cooked to tenderness, the skin becomes so tender and jelly-like that it just melts in your mouth. The gravy or the sauce is gelatinous that comes from the collagen from the tendons, connective tissues and the bones.

The flavor is sweetly-sour with a star-anise flavor that comes from the lily flowers. I can’t describe the flavor other that that. Some people use star anise but I find it too strong so I omit it.

From what I heard or read this dish is comparable to Humba from the Visayan region. it is almost the same method of cooking except they use pork belly and they add pineapple juice and pineapple chunks. Maybe I’ll try that someday.

• 1 whole fresh pork leg, about 2 lbs. (partially sliced through the bones from Asian store) or 2 pkgs. fresh pork hocks or shanks from the grocery store if you find them.
• 4 cloves garlic crushed or sliced
• ½ cup vinegar
• 3 TBSP. light soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sugar (white or brown)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. whole pepper corn or cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 or two Bay leaves
• about 1 doz or more dried lily flowers (Chinese) or what Filipinos call banana blossoms (bulaklak ng saging)
• Water to cover the meat (at least 1 1/2 cups)
• ½ tsp. msg (optional)

Put everything together in a pot and simmer covered on low until the meat is very tender and the skin can be cut with a fork. Stir only occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom and getting burned. When almost done and there is still plenty of liquid, uncover and continue simmering until half or most of the liquid is evaporated. 

This dish is very rich that you have to eat it or mix it with steaming white rice at the table.

Some people use patis as dip but we use soy sauce with lemon or calamansi.  Put a little gravy on your rice. 

Enjoy!

NOTE: I use light soy sauce in all my recipes.  Use less salt or amount of soy sauce if you use regular soy sauce.

Use non-reactive pot when cooking with vinegar. Stainless steel is non-reactive and so is Pyrex glass. Cast irons are okay but it may react with vinegar which may not be toxic but may alter the flavor. What to avoid is unlined aluminum pot. Aluminum reacts with acids that may have an unsafe result healthwise.