Pork Estofado

In all honesty, this is probably the first time I've eaten estofado.  The reason?  Bananas.  As far as I am concerned, bananas are ingredients for dessert, or sweets.

But B's A-te J was raving about an estofado dish she had recently eaten and she wanted to share it with us...

So yes, this dish is entirely A-te J's!

Here's her recipe... in as much as I could follow it (since she didn't exactly use measuring cups and spoons!)

4 pieces ripe saba bananas, cubed
1 whole bulb of garlic, smashed
1 big onion, sliced
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 kilo pork shoulder (kasim), cubed
2 cups stock or water
1/2 cup tuba vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 pieces bay leaves

Fry the saba banana cubes; remove from the pan and set aside.

Saute the garlic, onions and peppercorns.  Add the pork cubes and stir fry until lightly browned.  Pour in the stock/water, then vinegar; do not stir until the liquid boils.  Season with soy sauce, sugar and salt, if desired.  Throw in the bay leaves.  Simmer until pork is almost tender; add the fried bananas.

I did like the dish, and it was an interesting mix with the sweetness of the bananas adding something to the dish.  But truth be told, I stayed away from the bananas themselves!