Tokwa't Baboy is a Filipino dish made of tofu and pork with a tangy vinegar dressing. It's delicious as an appetizer, as a topping for congee, or main dish.
Living with someone with a different food preference than mine can be both a bane and a boon.
G doesn't like a lot of Filipino food, so when I make some, it means extra work of preparing a separate meal for him. On the bright side, that means MORE for me!
Tokwa't baboy is a Filipino dish made of boiled pork cuts, crispy tofu cubes, and a dipping mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, shallots, and chili peppers. It's popular as an appetizer with ice-cold beer and a filling side dish served with rice or congee.
Preparing the pork
- Parts of the pork face, such as ears and snouts, are typically used for tokwa't baboy, but you can omit it and use all pork belly.
- Simmer the pork face until tender and dice into bite-size pieces. Add aromatics such as onions, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns to infuse flavor.
Deep-frying tofu
Crispy tofu is the other star of the show, and to showcase its best taste, we need to cook it right.
- Use firm tofu, not silken or soft!
- Drain the tofu well of the packing liquid. ย Wrap the tofu block with a thick layer of paper towels, set it over a wire rack, and weigh it down with a saucer or bowl for about 15 to 20 minutes to extract moisture.
- You can cut the block into 1-inch thick slices and cut into cubes after deep-frying or fry already cubed for crispy edges.
- Deep-fry tofu in hot oil, turning as needed, until golden and crisp. Use enough oil, about 2 inches deep, to ensure the tofu is fully submerged.
- Maintain the oil at 350 F to 375 F range. Do not overcrowd the pan and fry in batches as needed to keep the temperature from plummeting.
The dipping sauce
- To complete the dish is a vinegar, soy sauce, and pork broth mixture with a hint of spice from chili peppers. Feel free to adjust amounts to achieve your desired medley of sweet and tangy.
- Bring to a boil without stirring to cook off the strong acid taste.
- You can prepare the sauce in advance and refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld.
How to serve and store
- Tokwa't baboy can be enjoyed as an appetizer or main dish. It can also be served alongside lugaw (congee) as topping.
- To prepare ahead of time, I suggest storing the pork and the sauce only and cooking a fresh batch of tofu when ready to serve for the best texture. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat, place in a saucepan and heat to an internal temperature of 165 F. Fry the tofu and combine.
More appetizer recipes
Ingredients
- 1 piece (about ยฝ pound) pork ear
- 1 pound pork belly
- water
- 1 small onion, peeled and quarted
- 1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 package (16 ounces) block firm tofu, cut lengthwise into thirds
- ยฝ cup oil
For the Dipping Sauce
- ยฝ cup pork broth (from boiling pork)
- 1 ยฝ cups vinegar
- ยผ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 2 Thai chili peppers, chopped
Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat, combine pork ear, pork belly, and enough water to cover. Add onions, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil, skimming scum that floats on top.
- Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until meat is fork-tender.
- Remove from heat and drain well, reserving ยฝ cup of the liquid. Allow to cool to touch and dice meat.
- Drain tofu from packing liquid. Wrap tofu block in paper towels and weigh down with a small plate or cup for about 15 to 20 minutes to excess moisture.
- In a pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add tofu and deep-fry, turning as necessary, until golden brown and crisp.
- With a slotted spoon, remove tofu and drain on paper towels. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
- In a pan over medium heat, combine reserved pork broth, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil, without stirring, for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine diced pork, tofu cubes, shallots, and chili peppers. Pour vinegar dressing and gently toss to distribute.
- Transfer into a serving platter and garnish with more chopped shallots and chili peppers.
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Justgrow succulents says
Perfect recipe. Thank you.
Maritess guerero says
Gusto ko ma'am ang mga video at recipes mo masarap at hindi complicated mga ingredients easy to follow ๐
Ev says
Iโm so excited to make this recipe! I braided up some pig ears to deep fry but got some sputtering oil a bit too close to my eyeโฆ needless to say I need a safer way of preparing them. I also like things tangy so I will be preparing this over the weekend to serve alongside rice.
Richard says
Thanks for sharing pilipino food recipes
Lalaine Manalo says
You're welcome ๐
Fely Panganiban says
Can I substitute Taro (gabe) for potato in nilagang karne?
Lalaine Manalo says
I suppose you can if you don't mind that the broth will be a little viscous due to the gabi.
Ana Michaela says
Hi! Does tokwa't lechon kawali gets spoiled overnight? I dont know if i should eat or not ๐ญ๐ญ
Lalaine says
Hello Ana
As long as it's refrigerated, it should be safe to eat for up to 3 days especially since it has vinegar ๐
Io Medina Aceremo says
Thanks Lalaine for this recipe. Adding the pork stock for the dipping sauce made it really yummy.
Lalaine says
Your welcome, the pork stock does add a bit more depth to the sauce ๐
scarlet tandug says
Hi, Lalaine. Am I really supposed to put in 1 and 1/2 cups of vinegar in the sauce? I did and the vinegar taste was too overpowering. I had to add more of the pork broth, salt, soy sauce and sugar to make the sauce 'just right' for my palate.
Lalaine says
Hello Scarlet
I am glad you were able to adjust the recipe according to your taste. I use this proportion because I kind of like mine more tangy but I do let the mixture boil for a few good minutes without stirring to kind of cook off the strong vinegar taste.