tokwa't baboy

tokwa't baboy has since been a favorite filipino appetizer. the balance of saltiness and sour is the trick. taken also as a compliment to arroz caldo (chicken congee) or fried lumpia (spring rolls).

the basic ingredients are readily available anywhere in the Philippines. pig ears, soy sauce, vineger, onions and tofu. the other stuff added are just my contribution to improve flavor.

It has been a long time since i made my last tokwa't baboy. I miss the days when i go home from work, i would just drop by a neighborhood wet market and get my ingredients there...even at night time!

I promised myself to make one on my birthday but it didn't go my way. ho hum.

well, now i got time to make one. i got the pig ears from a chinese store from a city nearby. tough to find in the western world. tofu came from the same store.

tokwa't baboy

4 pcs. fresh pig ears
1 medium onion chopped
1 pc bay leaf
pepper corns
salt
firm tofu

sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
salt and pepper
tablespoon of water
red hot chilli pepper

optionals: grated ginger, chopped chinese celery, rubbed sage

clean the pig ears. place it in a pot. add water enough to cover. add chopped onions, about 8 pepper corns, and about a teaspoon of salt. place a piece of laurel leaf in to improve flavor. boil till pig ears are tender but leaving the cartilage still crunch to the bite.

drain and let cool to room temperature.

prepare now the sauce. mix equal amounts of soy sauce and vinegar. add a little water to balance off the saltiness and sour flavor of the mix. adjust according to taste. the touch of water will make it easier to get the desired balance of flavor.

as an option, add grated ginger, chopped chinese celery and rubbed sage...or any of them. these little stuff improves the flavor.

add fine pepper and a little salt. chop finely the red hot chilli peppers and liberally add it to the sauce.

when the pig ears have cooled off, dice the ears. chop onions and set aside.

on another pan, fry the tofu, remove from pan and dry off on a kitchen towel. chop tofu to the size of the diced pig ears.

to serve, in a bowl, add equal amounts of pig ears, chopped tofu, and chopped onions. generously pour the sour and salty sauce over the mix and serve.

korean quest: dong won 2 - the grill

on the second time we visited the dong won restaurant, we tried their grill. the table setup is somewhat similar to shabu-shabu.

an open grill is molded at the center of the table. fire used is from burning charcoal. fans feed oxygen to the flame and suck up the smoke from the grill which prevents you from being suffocated by white smoke.

mich rosales, a pioneer of the restaurant who knows what she's doing, assisted us on the grilling.

when going there, ask for mich. she will introduce you to the good food they serve at a layman's language.

grill is in stainless steel. no oils were added. good quality pork is placed on the grill. grill is dome shaped. similar to the cast iron korean bbq grill. oil will drip at the edge making the pork a little less sinful.

fresh garlic and onions are placed beside the pork. big lettuce leaves are served together with scallion kimchi and a red pungent sauce.

preparation is similar to peking duck. with your bare hands, get a good, big lettuce leaf. place a piece of the grilled pork. smudge it with the red sauce. pick some of the scallion kimchi and place it on top of the pork. roll the lettuce leaf gently forming a bite size veggie pocket.

this dish comes with dong won's unending appetizers of kimchis, tofus, mussels and other veggies.

price is superb. it is just like getting two mcdonalds happy meals. but this one is incomparable to the fat saturated gleaming burgers of mcdonalds.

dong won restaurant and grill

jupiter street corner polaris street

bel aire

makati city