Philippines · Philippines

Tocino (Filipino Sweet-Pickled Pork)

Name: Tocino (Filipino Sweet-Pickled Pork)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Philippines
Ingredients: pork belly, thinly sliced 600 g; pineapple juice 80 ml; light soy sauce 30 ml; brown sugar 50 g; garlic cloves, minced 15 g; bay leaf 2 pieces; black pepper 2 g; vegetable oil 20 ml

Thin pork slices pickled in a sweet pineapple-garlic marinade, pan-fried until caramelized and tender.

50 minutes · 4 servings · Moderate

Tocino is the sweet breakfast meat that points to the Chinese influence running through Filipino cooking, where the pineapple and garlic marinade does what vinegar does in adobo. It is the star of a longganisa spread and of Christmas mornings when families wake early for it. The sugar in the marinade caramelises into a dark glaze, so the pan needs watching rather than timing.

Ingredients

pork belly, thinly sliced600 g
pineapple juice80 ml
light soy sauce30 ml
brown sugar50 g
garlic cloves, minced15 g
bay leaf2 pieces
black pepper2 g
vegetable oil20 ml

Directions

1
Combine pork with pineapple juice, soy, sugar, garlic, bay and pepper; marinate at least thirty minutes.
2
Heat oil in pan; add pork with marinade; simmer covered twelve minutes until pork is tender.
3
Uncover and cook six minutes until sauce caramelizes and pork edges brown.
Edges are caramelized and syrupy.
4
Serve with garlic rice and fried egg.

Source: WorldBite Editorial · WorldBite Proprietary Editorial Content