Humba

Pork Humba with pineapple, tausi, and dried banana blossoms is a delicious medley of sweet and savory flavors you’ll love with steamed rice! This Visayan version of adobo is easy to make and sure to be a family favorite.

When I told my mom in 2016 that I quit my job to blog full time, the first thing she said after a long silence was, “Paano pag nawalan ka na nang iluluto?” What if you run out of things to cook?

She sounded so worried about my decision that I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Her question was just funny and endearing and preposterous at the same time.

Filipino cuisine is so rich and steeped in history, and various regional flavors I don’t think running out of food to blog about would be a problem. Case in point: this humba. The preparation and cooking procedure are similar to our pineapple pork adobo recipe, yet throw in a few additional ingredients, such as fermented black beans and banana blossoms, and you have a brand new dish to explore!

What is Humba

Humba (homba), which literally translates to tender (hum) pork (ba), is a Visayan braised pork dish similar to the classic adobo. It’s said to have originated from the Chinese hong-bah/hong-mah, a red braised pork belly dish brought to the Visayas islands by Hokkien traders.

In this regional version, pork belly is slow-cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, or pineapple juice, and aromatics such as garlic, onions, peppercorns, and bay leaves. When the meat is fall-apart tender, palm sugar, pineapple, fermented black beans, and dried banana blossoms are added for extra depth of flavor and texture.

Ingredient notes

• Like in pork hamonado, Pork belly is the most commonly used, but other cuts, such as shoulder, leg, or hocks, will also work.
• Although vinegar is the traditional braising liquid for humba, I like to add pineapple juice for a sweet, fruity taste. As we’ll use the liquid in the pineapple can to braise the meat, ensure the fruit is packed in juice and not heavy syrup.
• To sweeten the dish, use brown sugar instead of white sugar. Brown sugar has a slightly less concentrated sweetness and contains molasses, enhancing the sauce’s rich flavor. If available, you can also use palm or muscovado sugar.
• Dried banana blossoms and tausi or fermented black beans are added for texture and flavor.

Cooking steps

1. Combine pork, vinegar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice in a large bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Do not marinate the meat for an extended period, as the acidity of the vinegar and pineapple juice will break down the meat’s protein fibers, altering the texture. Drain the meat from the marinade, reserving the liquid.
2. Saute onions and garlic in a wide pan until softened. Add pork belly and cook until lightly browned. While you can combine everything together in one step, searing over high heat caramelizes the surface of the meat which enriches the dish with more complex flavors.
3. Add reserved marinade and bring to a boil without stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes to cook off and mellow the strong acid taste.
4. Add peppercorns, bay leaf, tausi, pineapple chunks, and banana blossoms. Stir to combine. Rinse the tausi and drain well; they’re usually packed in salty brine.
5. Lower heat and simmer until pork is tender. Sweeten with brown sugar and season with salt to taste.
6. Continue to cook until liquid is reduced and begins to render fat.

How to serve and store

• Humba bisaya is usually served as the main entree for lunch and dinner, with piping-hot steamed rice as the perfect canvas for its sweet and savory meat and sauce.
• It’s a great make-ahead dish that can be prepped in advance. Store in a covered container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat for about 7 to 10 minutes to an internal temperature of 165 F or in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals until completely warmed.