Pata Tim Recipe – Pork is one of the biggest staple meats you’ll find in Filipino cuisine. There is no shortage of Filipino dishes that feature pork cooked in a variety of ways. From deep fried to stewed in a marinade, there are several pork dishes you can try and make in Filipino cuisine. Among the different pork dishes you can try and make in Filipino cuisine is Pata Tim. Pata Tim is a Filipino pork dish that features a whole pork leg cooked low and slow in a sweet and savory sauce.
The sauce usually consists of soy sauce, black peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, and star anise sweetened with muscovado sugar. Along with the sauce, the pork leg is cooked with péchay (Chinese cabbage) and mushrooms. You can only call the dish Pata Tim if it involves pork hock. If it doesn’t feature the dish it is a completely different one. To make the dish, here is one Pata Tim recipe you can use:
Pata Tim
Ingredients
- 4 pounds whole pork leg
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 pieces star anise
- 4 cups water
- 4 pieces shitake mushrooms
- 1 bundle bok choy ends trimmed and leaves separated
Instructions
- Have the butcher cut pork leg at about 2 inches apart but not all the way through. Under cold running water, rinse pork leg. Pat dry.
- In a wide pan over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add pork leg and sear on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In a large pot, combine Chinese cooking wine, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, star anise, and water. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring regularly until sugar is dissolved.
- Gently place pork leg into the liquid mixture and boil for about 5 minutes.
- Lower heat, cover and continue to cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone. Add more water in 1/2 cup increments as needed during cooking to maintain about 2 cups of sauce.
- Rinse the mushrooms and mushrooms into 1-inch thick strips.
- In a pan over high heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 minute or until heated through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
- In the pan, add bok choy and cook, stirring regularly, for about 30 seconds or until tender yet crisp.
- To serve, place pork leg on a serving platter. Arrange bok choy and shitake mushrooms around pork leg. Spoon sauce over the vegetables and meat. Serve hot.
Tips for a Pata Tim Recipe
Pata time is not the hardest dish to make, but there are some tips and tricks that can make it better. The pork dish usually features a whole uncut pork hock. However, not every pot can handle it. It’s best to ask the butcher to cut it in some places to make it more manageable. It’s also good to pat the pork well with paper towels so it will brown nicely when seared. If you want to exploree other vegetable options to pair with this dish, other leafy vegetables such as spinach, pechay or napa cabbage is optional.
You can try out other Filipino meat dishes with our “Filipino Milkfish Recipe” or try a twist on a classic with our “Pancit Buko Recipe.” You can also try other pork dishes like “Nilaga” or “Crispy Pata“. For other stew dishes, you should try “Mechado” or “Dinuguan.”
