Hamonada
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork butt about 1 kilo
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 2 cups pineapple chunks
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 5 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the pineapple juice, sugar, and soy sauce.
- Marinate the pork in the pineapple juice, sugar, and soy sauce mixture for 1 to 3 hours.
- Remove the pork from the marinade, and set the remaining mixture aside.
- Heat the oil in a pan, and fry the marinated pork until it turns a light brown color (approximately 3 to 5 minutes).
- Pour in the remaining marinade mixture along with the pineapple chunks and beef broth. Simmer for 45 to 60 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot and enjoy your delicious meal!
Hamonada Recipe Details
Hamonada Recipe – Many dishes feature a blend of savory and sweet flavors. Some of these dishes are even better when paired with rice. In Filipino cuisine, a popular dish that features savory and sweet flavors and pairs best with rice is hamonada. Hamonado, often referred to as Pork Hamonado, is a traditional Filipino dish prepared by cooking pork in pineapple juice. Historically, it was reserved for special occasions like Christmas and Fiestas due to its indulgent nature and the expense of pork for daily consumption. However, in recent times, it has become a more common and accessible dish.
When making this dish, there are different parts of the pork you can use. These parts include pork belly, pork knuckles, pork legs (ham), pork shoulder, or any cut with ample fat. It’s essential to note that the cooking time may vary depending on the meat’s toughness. The important thing to remember is that the dish has three star ingredients: the pork, pineapple, and soy sauce. Regarding the choice of soy sauce, in the Philippines, the options are limited as one typically uses the local soy sauce.
However, in other countries, various soy sauces with different flavors exist. If a Philippine-style soy sauce is unavailable, an all-purpose or dark soy sauce can serve as a substitute. As for pineapple juice, whether sweetened or not, both are viable options. If you decide to use sweetened pineapple juice, consider skipping the addition of sugar to avoid oversweetening the dish. There are many things to note about hamonada.
Additional Notes for a Hamonada Recipe
While the recipe above features pork, hamonada can refer to other meats cooked in a pineapple sauce. There are also alternatives for different ingredients. For the sweetening element, brown sugar can be substituted with a blend of white sugar and maple syrup, which provides a similar flavor profile. In the absence of maple syrup, white sugar alone can impart the desired sweetness. If you are looking for a less fatty version of this dish, you can use chicken as the protein.
Aside from this dish, other Filipino pork dishes you can enjoy include Pork Binagoongan and Pork Giniling. Other sweet and savory dishes you can enjoy include Pata Tim and Atchara. Outside of these Filipino dishes, you can try our Chili Cheese Toast recipe.
