Pochero

Print Recipe

Braised pork leg with banana, potato, cabbage, bok choy, and green beans.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: pochero, pork stew, puchero

Servings: people

Calories: 1206kcal

Author: Vanjo Merano

Ingredients

3 lbs. pork leg see notes
2 pieces chorizo de bilbao see notes
2 pieces saba banana see notes
2 pieces potato see notes
½ piece cabbage see notes
5 bunches baby bok choy
10 pieces green beans
8 ounces pork and beans
1 piece onion see notes
1 piece tomato see notes
3 cloves garlic See noted
8 ounces tomato sauce
4 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Fish sauce and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil the pork leg for 10 minutes and then discard the water. Set the pork aside.
3 lbs. pork leg
Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a cooking pot. Sauté the garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
1 piece tomato, 3 cloves garlic, 3 tablespoons cooking oil, 1 piece onion
Once the onion softens, add the chorizo and then saute it for 1 minute.
2 pieces chorizo de bilbao
Put the pork leg slices back into the cooking pot. Saute it for 2 minutes.
3 lbs. pork leg
Pour the tomato sauce and beef broth. Cover and let the liquid boil, then adjust the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for 90 minutes or until the pork leg tenderizes completely.
8 ounces tomato sauce, 4 cups beef broth
Add the banana and potatoes. Cook these for 7 minutes.
2 pieces saba banana, 2 pieces potato
Add the cabbage, long green beans, bok choy, and the canned pork and beans. Continue cooking this for 3 minutes.
½ piece cabbage, 10 pieces green beans, 8 ounces pork and beans, 5 bunches baby bok choy
Season with fish sauce and ground black pepper.
Fish sauce and ground black pepper to taste
Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with warm rice. Share and enjoy!

Notes

Pork Leg: Also known as pork hock is the actual leg of the pig. This has to be sliced into serving pieces before cooking. Sliced pork legs are available in Asian and Hispanic grocery stores. Make sure to wash this well before cooking. It is also a good idea to blanch it first to remove the impurities. The substitute for this ingredient are as follows:

Pork belly, cut into large cubes
Pork shoulder: cut into large cubes
Beef chuck
Chicken

Chorizo de Bilbao: This is a Philippine dry sausage made from beef and pork. If this is not available, you may use Chinese Sausage, Mexican chorizo, and Kielbasa.

Saba Banana: A triploid hybrid banana cultivar, this type of banana originated from the Philippines. It is the most widely used banana for cooking. When ripe enough, it has a sweet, rich, and savory flavor.

Make sure to use ripe saba bananas for this recipe. If this not available, ripe plantain is a good alternative.

Potato: Use any type of potato. If using a large variety, divide it into quarters so that it can easily be consumed.

Cabbage: I used green cabbage for this recipe. This is probably the most common cabbage variety that you will see in the supermarket. The other cabbage varieties you can also use are:

Jaroma
Savoy
Napa

Quarter the cabbage before cooking. You can also separate the layers after cutting it.

Onion: We have no preference for the type of onion to be used. I used yellow sweet onions though and chopped it coarsely. This provides a sweet note to the dish.

Tomato: Ripe tomatoes are best. Plum and vine tomatoes are recommended. Simply diced the tomatoes and cook it with seeds on.

Garlic: It is best to use fresh garlic for this recipe. Crush it first the chop and saute!

Nutrition