The Queen’s Pork and Tofu in Fermented Black Soybeans
Adobo was my favorite dish as a kid. Having a grandmother who very well knew this preference often meant having an adobo dish for dinner—but serving the same variant over and over can kill the excitement and joy that the dish brings. And so, apart from pork belly, adobo from her kitchen would sometimes mean chicken, or porkchops with lots of onions and calamansi (with the flavors resembling the Filipino bistek), or chicken with pineapples, or kangkong, or squid. And then there’s also pork belly with lots of tofu and fermented black soybeans, which I am presenting to you today.
I honestly don’t know if this qualifies as an adobo—it certainly has no vinegar, which more or less defines what an adobo dish should be. I also did not get the chance to see my late grandmother cook this in action, so I recreated the dish from memory. After a few experiments here and there, let me share with you how I do it:
I start by preparing the tofu. I take a huge block of firm tofu from the local market, cut it it half, and then again in half-inch thick pieces. I fry them in oil until brown on all sides, drain them in paper towels, and then cut them in bite-size pieces. I like doing it this way, rather than cutting them in cubes before frying, so that I will still have some sides of the tofu that is not fried. I feel that the flavors from the sauce gets absorbed better this way. Frying creates a crusty barrier that makes it more difficult for the tofu to absorb flavor, but you also want that texture coming from the crunchy exterior. Doing it this way gives you the best of both worlds.
I work on the rest of the dish next. This is where it starts to deviate from adobo. Unlike in many of my adobo dishes, I leave out the onions in this dish and go easy on the garlic. I want to retain some of the fragrance from aromatics but their flavors can be too strong. I find that using less garlic and excluding the onions is the way to go.
On to the sauce: You might panic with the amount of sugar that I put in, but remember that this dish gets a lot of saltiness from the fermented black soybeans that we add towards the end. No vinegar, as previously mentioned. The dish is supposed to be sweet and salty, and not at all tangy.
To finish, I add some chopped scallions. It adds brightness not just to the eyes but also to the palate, making the dish even more flavorful.
So is this adobo? Maybe yes, maybe not. Regardless, I can boldly say it is delicious. My late grandmother, the Queen of our household kitchen, would be proud.
The Queen’s Pork and Tofu in Fermented Black Soybeans
Ingredients
- Cooking oil
- 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 kilo pork belly
- 1 large block firm tofu
- 100 grams fermented black soybeans
- Scallions, cut into half-inch pieces
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Tofu:
- Pat dry the tofu with kitchen towels. Cut the block in half, and then cut each half into half-inch pieces.
- Fry each piece under medium heat until brown and crisp on all sides. Drain in paper towels.
- Once cool enough to handle, cut each piece into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
Prepare the rest of the dish:
- Cut the pork belly into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
- Finely mince the garlic. Sauté the garlic in two tablespoons of oil under medium heat for two minutes until fragrant and slightly browned.
- Add the sugar. Cook it in the oil for around two minutes until melted, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Increase the heat to medium high. Pour in the soy sauce. Let it bubble up and reduce slightly, around two to three minutes.
- Toss in the pork. Cook until no longer pink on all sides, around five minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the pork is tender. Add a bit of water if the liquid is evaporating too quickly.
- Drain the fermented black soybeans and add it in the pot. Stir and simmer for another five minutes to let the flavors come together. Add some ground black pepper to balance the flavors.
- Toss in the cooked tofu and the scallions. Serve with rice.
Notes
As with many other food bloggers out there, I am no chef. I come with no culinary training whatsoever, and so it’s not at all surprising that my kitchen adventures are punctuated by frequent mishaps and blunders. Yet, there are recipes that I seem to make much better than others. And so, after years of prodding from family and friends, here I am, sharing the little that I know.
Why “gourmand,” you ask? Simply because I like making and eating good food. I can eat a lot, too—so there you go!