Pata with Corn — a different way with pork knuckles
FOR the longest time, whenever I’d think of pata (pork knuckles), I always associated it with either crispy pata (deep fried pork knuckles) or patatim ( braised pork hock, a favorite of my late father). But after joining my husband on a business trip to Cebu not too long ago, I tasted a fresh and different preparation for pata that made me realize its versatility.
We visited our friend Ernie while his M/ V Resolute boat was docked in Cebu one evening when our schedules thankfully aligned. He had his chef prepare Pata with Corn and boy, not only was the meat truly falloffthe- bone ( we were in happy tears), but the dipping sauce killed it too. I was two months away from turning vegan at the time and glad I had a taste of it before my transition.
I have to highlight the wonderful use of corn in this particular dish. At a glance, one may think it a common nilaga dish, but the corn makes all the difference. It brings out a sweet and savory taste of the pork with the dipping sauce combined. In a word, the taste is divine.
So here’s another idea in cooking pork hock, besides deep frying and braising.
It is nicely tucked in my mental catalogue of go-to Filipino soup dishes that provide warmth and comfort especially needed as we go into the rainy season in this second half of the year.
I can already imagine the warm hugs this dish would bring!
Pata with Corn
Pork hock in thick corn soup
Ingredients:
Pata (front), sliced
2 white onions, sliced in half 2 cobs of fresh native corn ( white), grated or 1 can cream style corn
Camote or sitaw tops
Half a tablespoon of salt
Dipping sauce
Soy sauce Vinegar
Garlic (roughly crushed and chopped)
Procedure:
Boil the meat on high. Remove scum.
Add sliced onions. Reduce to low fire and continue to simmer.
Add salt and corn. Simmer until tender.
Adjust seasoning as needed. Add camote or sitaw tops once ready to serve.
Serve with dipping sauce
Notes :
Do not reduce the liquid too much. You want to have a nice soupy dish This particular cut of meat wiggles when super tender. It’s eye candy. The thick soup is quite a lovely experience. The corn makes the dish sweet and combined with the dipping sauce makes for a winning combination. Add a bit of garlic and you’re y in for a treat.
The original recipe calls for sitaw tops and unfortunately, I did not have one available. Instead I opted to use camote tops which I have a lot of in our garden.
Other vegetable options: kulitis (or Chinese spinach, amaranth), spinach, kangkong
Yield: About 2-3 servings kkk