When you want a meaty stew done right, you should probably go to a Pinoy for help. That’s because Filipino cooks have a great grasp of what makes a quality stew that’s satisfying, comforting, and healthy all at the same time. The examples are everywhere from the famous adobo to what I’m teaching you to make now, which is our tasty, savory Pochero.

What is Pochero?

To start, let’s talk about what this recipe actually is. Pochero is something you can actually make with red meat or chicken. But the most popular kind would be the one utilizing Pork. This has a delicious orange stew possessing a mildly salty flavor from the likes of beef broth and tomato sauce. Here is my recipe for chicken pochero, please check it out to see other variations in preparing this dish.

However, it really is the somewhat sweet taste of saba banana that sets this dish apart from many others. You may not expect a fruit to match well with a savory stew. But it’s this surprising twist that gives life to our meaty recipe. Plus the soft texture of the banana is perfect alongside the leafy greens like bok choy. You will not want to skip out on making this Pochero for the family!

Pochero Ingredients

Ready to create some Pochero? Here’s the list of stuff you will need from the market! First, let’s get 3 lbs. of Pork Leg, 2 pieces of chorizo de bilbao, and 2 pieces of saba banana, all of which we will slice up. Also grab 2 pieces of potato that needs to be quartered, ½ piece of cabbage that must also be quartered, as well as 5 bunches of baby bok choy.

We will need more veggies, such as 10 pieces of long green beans, 1 onion you’ve chopped, 1 tomato you’ve diced, and 3 cloves of garlic you’ve chopped. Prepare 8 ounces of pork and beans, 8 ounces of tomato sauce, 4 cups of beef broth, and as much fish sauce and ground black pepper as you would prefer. Then just add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to the mix, and you are all good to go!

How to Make Pochero

1. Boiling the pork

Pour water into a pot that will fit all of your pork. Apply heat, and then boil the pork leg for a good 10 minutes. Afterwards, you can discard your water, and set your pork aside.

2. Sautéing some ingredients

We can now heat up our cooking oil in a cooking pot. Once the oil gets hot, you can add your garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Sauté these together until the onion softens. Then toss in your chorizo. Proceed to sauté this for just 1 minute. 

3. Cooking the pork

Now we can work the pork leg into the dish. We should just place the pork leg slices into our cooking pot again, and sauté for 2 minutes.

4. Tenderizing the pork leg

Take your tomato sauce and beef broth, and pour both into the pot. Put your cover on top, and wait for the liquid to boil. When it does, you should adjust the heat to a simmer. Now just keep cooking everything for 90 minutes, but feel free to adjust the time based on when the pork has gotten as tender as you would like.

5. Adding the bananas and vegetables

You may now toss in your banana and potatoes. Continue cooking everything in the pot for 7 minutes. Then add your cabbage, long green beans, bok choy, and canned pork and beans. We will just cook these for 3 minutes.

6. Seasoning the pochero

Ready with your fish sauce and ground black pepper? Just add this to taste. 

How to Serve Pochero

Once you have sprinkled in your last two seasonings, all that’s left is serving! Simply pour everything into a serving bowl. You may enjoy this stew on its own, but if you want to do it the Filipino way, you really must try this with some newly cooked rice on the side. You could also mix this into your soup– it’s really up to you! Having a sweet cold drink like some iced tea on the side would be the perfect addition to your hearty Pochero lunch.

How to Store Pochero

Storage would come very easy for us when it comes to this dish. That’s because all you will need is an airtight container and your fridge! Place your leftovers in the container, and make sure the cover is closed tight. Then you can refrigerate your dish for a maximum of 3 days. Once you find yourself craving Pochero again, just take the container out of the refrigerator, and get ready to reheat with your stove and pot.

I truly hope you found it fun to make some Pochero with me! Cook some more recipes by checking our other dishes here on the Panlasang Pinoy website.

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