Madalas kasama ni lugaw, minsan kasama ni kanin at kung minsan naman kasabay ni RedHorse. Ito ang tokwa’t baboy. Pang almusal, merienda, ulam sa hapunan at pampulutan. Di kamahalan at madaling kainin, kaya paborito ng maraming Pinoy, especially kung mahilig ka sa baboy. Para sa mga baboy lovers out there, tagay tayo para sa tokwa’t baboy.
Tokwa means tofu while baboy means pork in Filipino. This is a simple mash up of boiled pork parts such as belly and ears and fried tofu soaked in soy-vinegar sauce. There’s the crunch of fried firm tofu and ear bones, the succulent melting fats of the pork belly and the sweet-salty-tangy flavors in the sauce- all the good stuffs in a simple and inexpensive dish.
Ingredients:
Meat:
- 1 ½ pounds pork belly
- 1 ½ pounds pig’s ear
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 4 bay leaves
- 10 pepper corns
- 2 tablespoons salt
- Water, just enough to cover the meat
- 2 pounds extra firm tofu
- ½ cup oil
Sauce:
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 head garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
How-how?
Prepare the meat. Put all the meat ingredients in a big stock pan. Boil the pork and ears until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the meat and set aside to cool for a bit. Then slice the meat into bite-size pieces and put in a big bowl.
Fry the tofu in batches until crispy brown on the outside. Start with medium high heat but adjust to medium or lower later on so as not to burn the tofu quickly. Drain excess oil in paper towel. Then cut into bite-size squares. Add to the bowl with the pork.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a separate small bowl. Add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter. Stir well to melt the sugar and salt. Pour the sauce over the tofu and meat. Mix thoroughly to distribute the sauce. Let it rest for 30 minutes, covered, before serving. Garnish with green onions, parsley or chives.
