Name: Pork Afritada
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs Pork (cubed); 4 pieces hot dog (sliced); 8 oz. tomato sauce; 3/4 cup green peas; 1 piece tomato (cubed); 2 pieces carrots (wedged); 2 pieces potato (cubed); 3 pieces bay leaves; 1 piece onion (minced); 4 cloves garlic (crushed); 2 cups beef broth; 3 tablespoons cooking oil; Salt and ground black pepper to taste

To cook is always an act of love, and you can really taste this in certain dishes. The very warmth and heartiness of Pork Afritada always tastes of affection, and that’s partially why I love both making and eating this warm stew! This is a kind of pork stew that comes from the Philippines, and other than the aforementioned meat, some of the ingredients that it is most known for include, hotdogs, potatoes and carrots. There are plenty more components that make afritada the lovely dish that it is, so come and find out by making some for yourself!

How to Make Pork Afritada

If you’ve had experience sautéing and boiling stew, this should definitely be a piece of cake for you!

1. Cooking the pork

We will just heat up the cooking oil in our pot, and then you can add the onion and garlic. Sauté these together until the onion softens. Then put the pork inside, cooking this until it becomes light brown.

2. Boiling the stew

Let’s pour our tomato sauce inside! Also add the pork broth, and just let the mixture boil.

3. Adding the rest of the veggies

Once the liquid boils, you may add your bay leaves, and then cover the pot. Prepare to wait for a while as we will just let everything cook for half an hour. Then you may place the hotdog, carrot, and potato inside. Continue cooking but just for 12 minutes. Then you should add the green peas too so we can cook the mixture for 5 minutes.

4. Seasoning with salt and pepper

We’re down to the very final step! Simply sprinkle in the salt and ground black pepper. And that’s it! You may transfer the stew to your preferred bowl or container now.

Filipino Pork Afritada

During lunch or dinnertime, Pork Afritada’s aroma is something you will commonly get a whiff of in Filipino households. This is quite a common viand not only because it is satisfyingly savory, but also due to its vibrant mix of nutritious ingredients. And we tie that all together beautifully with a bow through the addition of heaps of thick, delicious tomato sauce. But since this can be quite a flavorful dish, we usually serve afritada with some newly cooked white rice.

Ingredients in Pork Afritada

There really is more to afritada than just pork slices and hotdogs! We have the likes of onion, garlic, and beef broth to season the stew perfectly.

Pork – The cubed pork is a signature feature of our afritada. These blend into our mix of tomatoes and carrots perfectly, careful not to outshine many of our other wedged and cubed components.
Hotdog – Meanwhile, the hotdogs provide a good balance of sweetness and saltiness.
Tomato sauce – This gives our stew a lot more body and depth.
Green peas – You may not be aware of this, but peas are actually a pretty convenient ingredient because they are filled with protein. They make it easier for us to get full from dishes!
Tomato – Boost the tomato flavor of your dish with this delightful component.
Carrot – Adds some crunch to our stew!
Potato – Working in satisfying contrast with the carrot, potatoes have a nice softness to them that really elevate the texture of our afritada.
Bay leaves – The earthy, herbal flavor of bay leaves can do wonders for afritada!
Onion – Sautéing pork in onion definitely creates the most savory, perfectly cooked meat.
Garlic – Get some more savor in there with the sharpness of garlic!
Beef broth – Improves the flavor of your stew while giving it a lot more meatiness.
Cooking oil – To cook all of your components perfectly!
Salt and ground black pepper – Keeps your stew from becoming bland and essentially helps create a lot of harmony in flavor.

What to Serve with Pork Afritada

Like I said earlier, rice is the best choice for a side dish when it comes to yummy Pork Afritada! It’s up to you, but you could top the rice with your stew and meat, enjoying the afritada in all its savory flory. But as for other dishes you could serve with this stew, I have a few varied recommendations. The first would be some Apple Cranberry Pork Chop with Stuffing and Mixed Vegetables, which has a delightful sweetness to it. This would work nicely with the salty flavor of afritada.

Now I’m also assuming that you are a fan of afritada because you are making this recipe. With that, you may want to try recreating this Pork Menudo recipe. Afritada and menudo are often mistaken for one another because of their tomato base, as well as the use of pork, hotdogs, carrots, and potatoes. But menudo has some more sweetness to it, and it has the distinct taste of liver to enhance its flavor. Lastly, try out some deliciously salty Beef Bulalo for another Filipino stew that has a different kind of savor to it.

Had fun making Pork Afritada? Tell us about your experience in the comments section!