Pork Humba with Fried Tofu is a flavorful, budget-friendly take on traditional humba. I prepared this version with pineapple juice, salted black beans, and a touch of star anise. Tokwa at Baboy Humba is an everyday dish that stretches ingredients without sacrificing taste—the pork turns tender and the sauce is rich and savory.
This recipe is ideal if you want to enjoy the deep flavors of humba while keeping costs down. Adding fried tofu increases the portion size so you can serve more people without increasing expense significantly.
How to Cook Pork Humba with Tofu
Begin by deep-frying the tofu until golden and crisp. Cut extra-firm tofu into cubes and heat about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cooking oil in a wok or deep pot. Fry the tofu, stirring occasionally so the cubes color evenly. When the tofu is crisp and golden, remove it from the oil and set aside. Reserve some of the oil for sautéing the aromatics.
In a clean pan, pour roughly 3 tablespoons of the reserved oil. Sauté crushed garlic until it begins to brown for a toasty, savory base. Add chopped onion and cook until softened. Add the cubed pork belly and cook, stirring, until the outer surface becomes lightly browned—this develops a pleasant texture and deeper flavor.
When the pork has browned, pour in the soy sauce and continue to sauté until the liquid reduces by about half. Add the pineapple juice and white vinegar, then cover the pan to bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat to low or medium and simmer; I usually let it cook covered for around 35 to 40 minutes so the pork becomes very tender.
Stir in the salted black beans, then add a cup of water and the brown sugar. Continue cooking on low with the pan covered until the pork is extremely tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. For added fragrance, toss in a piece of star anise for about five minutes, then remove it.
Finally, season with ground black pepper and fold in the fried tofu. Let everything cook together for a couple of minutes so the tofu absorbs some of the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with steamed white rice, spooning plenty of sauce over each portion.
Enjoy this Tokwa at Baboy Humba recipe—simple, comforting, and perfect for family meals.
Tokwa at Baboy Humba
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. pork belly cubed
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 10 ounces extra firm tofu cubed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons salted black beans
- 1 piece onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
- 1 piece star anise
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cooking oil
Instructions
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Heat cooking oil in a wok or cooking pot. Add tofu. Deep fry until outer part turns golden brown and crisp. Remove from the wok. Set aside.
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Transfer 3 tablespoons cooking oil used to fry tofu on a clean pan. Heat and saute garlic until it starts to brown. Add onion. Continue sauteing until the later softens.
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Add pork. Cook until the outer part turns light brown.
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Pour soy sauce. Continue sauteing until liquid reduces to half.
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Add pineapple juice and vinegar. Cover and let boil.
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Stir and then add salted black beans. Cover once more. Continue cooking between low to medium heat for 35 minutes.
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Add water and brown sugar. Cook on a covered pan until pork gets very tender. Note: I usually cook it for 40 minutes in low heat.
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Add star anise. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove star anise from the wok.
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Season with ground black pepper and then add fried tofu. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
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Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve.
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Share and enjoy!