Receta Tokwa’t Baboy (Boiled Pork with Fried Tofu)

by Manny Montala

Tokwa’t baboy is I think one of the Pinoy’s comfort food. I was craving one day for tokwa’t baboy but I don’t like the taste of those sold in turo-turo (street food vendors) or fast foods. Because the pork taste bland and the vinegar is too sour. I was thinking what if I use apple cider vinegar? Yes my experiment is a success. With sauce made by my wife combining the ingredients creates a fruity, spicy-sweet and sour taste. Then I boiled the pork using a charcoal stove because cooking in charcoal give a more flavorful taste compared to cooking in electric stove or LPG stove.  And no need for a pressure cooker because it tenderizes the pork with a firm texture. Also, you can use pork belly if you can’t find pork cheeks and ears. If you can find ears or cheeks,  select the cheek part with pork tongue because I’m sure it will taste better. Ingredients: 5 pcs tokwa or tofu (about 2 inch square inch) 1/2 kilo pork ears and cheeks (or pork belly) 1 Tbsp. black peppercorn, cracked 1 Tbsp. rock salt For the sauce: 1 cup water 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or cane vinegar) 1 medium size red onion, chopped 2 Tbsp brown sugar 3 pcs siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili), chopped 1 Tbsp. soy sauce How to cook Tokwa’t Baboy: Wash and clean the pork ears and cheeks by removing hairs and remaining blood. Rub with rock salt to remove the odor. Wash in running water and drain. In a pot, put enough water just to cover the pork and add salt and black pepper. Boil for an hour or until the pork is tender. Use a charcoal stove if you have one because it taste better and the pork is easier to tenderize and the pork is still firm. In the meantime deep fry the tokwa until golden brown. Drain and let cool. Slice the tokwa into cubes and put in a deep platter but leave enough space for the pork. Slice the pork cheeks and ears into squares and mix them with the tofu. It’s up to you if you want to arrange the tofu and pork side by side if you don’t want to mix them. For the sauce, combine water, vinegar, sugar, onion, soy sauce and siling labuyo. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the tokwa and pork then serve. Try Other Recipes : Adobong Pusit at Tokwa (Squid Adobo with Tofu) Adobong pusit is a favorite among the many Filipino dishes and there are also variations on ... Chicharon Pork Liempo This chicharon is one of the tastiest pork chicharon I've tasted. This is commercially availab ... Bagnet (Crispy Pork Belly) with Pork Blood Dip Bagnet is the Ilokano version of one of our favorite Filipino dish called lechon kawali. The ...