A Delicious Filipino Dish
Pata Tim is a classic Filipino dish made with pork leg or knuckles, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pineapple juice, and spices like garlic, star anise, and cinnamon. It is a popular pork leg Filipino dish which is very similar to paksiw na pata but this dish does not have vinegar. What makes this dish appetizing aside from it’s flavor is the very tender meat and the skin with gelatin like texture and thick savory sauce. This dish is flavorful and aromatic, and it’s perfect for family gatherings or special occasions. Want to try other pata recipe? Check this out paksiw na pata with beer.
While it may seem complicated to cook, following the steps will make it easy to prepare, even for beginner cooks. You might think that this can only be cooked by an experienced chef. If you have cooked some simple Asian dishes or Filipino dishes, then cooking pata tim is a breeze.
Preparing the Pork Leg
When buying the pork leg, it’s easier to prepare if you ask the meat vendor to chop it for you into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Alternatively, you can cook the whole pork pata. Begin by washing the pork leg in running water and soaking it in water for at least half an hour to remove all the blood and reduce the odor. Wipe it dry with paper towel and remove the hairs by burning them using a torch or lighter. You can also burn the hairs using your stove by passing the pork leg through the flames. You have two options: retain the foot or trotters or cut it off. Ask the butcher to cut it for you or use a cleaver to chop it off.
Searing the Pork Leg
In a hot wok, heat at least a cup of cooking oil and sear the pork leg skin to remove odor and achieve a nice reddish-brown mahogany color when cooked. Set the pork leg aside.
Cooking the Pata Tim
In a pot, combine soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon bark. Let it boil and simmer for about an hour to 2 hours, adding more water if necessary. Then add sugar and oyster sauce, and boil again for 30 minutes or until the pork is tender. Add in the mushrooms and continue cooking until the skin is soft and has a gelatin texture, and the liquid is reduced to half. Mix cornstarch with 3 Tbsp water and pour in to thicken the sauce. Season with salt or fish sauce to taste.
Blanching the Bok Choy
In the meantime, wash and trim the bok choy. Blanch it in a saucepan with boiling water for 2 minutes.
Plating the Pata Tim
Upon serving the pata tim, arrange a bed of blanched bok choy on a platter. Then put the pork leg pieces and mushrooms on the bok choy and pour over the sauce on the pata tim. This will make it look more presentable.
Final Words
Pata Tim may seem daunting to cook, but following these simple steps will make it easy to prepare. The combination of pork leg, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pineapple juice, and spices creates a delicious flavor that is sure to please your taste buds. So next time you’re looking for a special dish to serve, give Pata Tim a try!
Notes on The Ingredients:
Pork Leg
The pork leg is the main ingredient in this dish and provides a rich, meaty flavor. When selecting pork leg for this dish, it’s best to ask the meat vendor to chop it for you about 1 1/2 inch thick or you can use the whole pork pata. Make sure to wash the pork leg thoroughly in running water and soak it in water for at least half an hour to remove all the blood and lessen the odor.
Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is a staple ingredient in many Asian dishes and adds a savory, umami flavor to the Pata Tim. It’s important to use a good quality soy sauce for this dish to ensure the best flavor.
Oyster Sauce
Oyster sauce is another important ingredient in the Pata Tim and adds a rich, savory flavor. It’s made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt, and cornstarch and is often used in many Chinese and Southeast Asian dishes.
Pineapple Juice
Pineapple juice is used in the recipe to add a sweet, tangy flavor to the dish. It also helps to tenderize the meat and balance out the savory flavors of the soy sauce and oyster sauce.
Vegetables (Mushrooms and Bok Choy)
Mushrooms and bok choy are the two vegetables used in this recipe. The mushrooms add a meaty texture to the dish while the bok choy provides a fresh, crisp flavor. Make sure to blanch the bok choy in boiling water for 2 minutes to cook it properly before mixing it with the Pata Tim.
How To Cook Pata Tim
Ingredients
- 1 kilo pork pata pork leg or 1 whole pork pata
- 1 bunch bokchoy
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 whole star anise or sanke
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 stick cinnamon bark or 1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- salt or patis fish sauce
- 50 grams Shitake mushrooms optional or dried Chinese mushrooms
- 4 cups water
Instructions
How To Cook Pata Tim:
- When buying the pork leg, it is easier to prepare if you will ask the meat vendor to chop it for you about 1 1/2 inch thick. You can also use cook the whole pork pata.
- Wash the pork pata in running water and soak in water for at least half an hour to remove the all the blood and to lessen the odor.
- Wash and clean pata and drain. You can also soak in water for at least half an hour to remove the all the blood and to lessen the odor. Wipe with paper towel to dry. Remove hairs by burning it using a torch or lighter.
- You can also burn the hairs using your stove by passing it through the flames.
- This part, you have two options: retain the foot or trotters or cut it off.
- Ask the butcher to cut it for you or you can use a cleaver to chop it off.
- In a hot wok, heat at least a cup of cooking oil and sear the pork pata skin to remove odor and to have a nice reddish brown mahogany color when cooked.
- In a pot combine soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, star anise and cinnamon bark.
- Let boil and simmer for about an hour to 2 hours. Add more water if necessarily.
- Then add sugar and oyster sauce. Boil again for 30 minutes or until the pork is tender.
- Add in the mushroom and continue cooking until the skin is soft and with a gelatin texture and the liquid is reduced to half.
- Mix cornstarch with 3 Tbsp water and pour in to thicken the sauce. Season with salt or fish sauce to taste.
- In the meantime, wash and trim the bok choy. Blanch in a saucepan with boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Then mix the bok choy with the pata tim and serve hot.
- You can make it more presentable by doing this: upon serving the pata tim, arrange a bed of blanched bok choy on a platter.
- Then put the pork leg pieces and mushrooms on the bok choy and pour over the sauce on the pata tim.
Video
Watch the Video on How to Cook Pata Tim:
Notes
- When buying pork leg, ask the vendor to chop it into 1 1/2 inch thick pieces for easier preparation.
- Alternatively, you can cook the whole pork pata.
- Burning the hairs on the skin using a torch or passing it through flames on the stove will help remove them easily.
- Use a cleaver to cut off the foot or trotters, or ask the butcher to do it for you.
- Add more water to the pot if necessary to keep the pork leg submerged during cooking.
- Use low heat when simmering to ensure the pork leg cooks evenly and becomes tender.
- Make sure the cornstarch and water mixture is smooth before pouring it into the pot to avoid lumps.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt or fish sauce to your liking.
Nutrition Notes:
Calorie and other nutrition information is derived from HappyFolks.Com recipe nutrition calculator. The percent daily value (%DV) is based on a daily 2,000 calorie diet.Nutrition Information:
Amount per Serving:760g, Calories:831kcal, From fat:392, Total fat:43.5g, Saturated Fat:14.6g, Trans Fat:0.5g, Cholesterol: 256mg, Sodium: 2588g, Total Carbohydrate: 29g, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 13g, Protein: 36g, Vitamin A: 152%, Vitamin C: 137%, Calcium: 27%, Iron: 27%
Correction: In some of the comments below, star ratings were mistakenly included. These have now been removed for transparency. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
This is so good
I just cooked it today and I love it, just the way my Mom cooked it in the Philippines. Thank you for this recipe
Hi Edna! Thanks for cooking this recipe! I hope you will also watch the video.
I tried the recipe for Easter lunch yesterday and it was so good! Since my family loves to put sauce on the rice, I doubled the measurements for it. Thanks for recipe!
Hi Blessie! Thanks for sharing your cooking experience! 😁
Can i use this measurements for four pata legs or need some adjustments.
Hi Jeoffry, Yes you need to adjust the amount of the other ingredients when cooking 4 pata legs. You can multiply it by four.
Pata tim is a yummy dish! some people include banana blossom in their recipe, may I ask when is the right time to add the banana blossom in cooking Pata tim? thank you!
Hi Tintin, I didn’t know that some people prefer adding banana blossoms on pata tim. But in paksiw na pata, banan blossoms are usually added a few minutes before it is cooked.
Hi Ann, I think you can use orange juice.
Instead of pineapple juice, what’s the alternative?
Will try your recipe on my birthday. Thanks.
Hi Geepet, advance happy birthday!
Hi Fely, good luck on your cooking!
I’ll try to cook this pata tim recipe tomorrow. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment too Willy. Yes you can omit the bokchoy but be sure to include the mushrooms.
Hi! Thanks for sharing this delicious pata tim recipe. Just want to ask if I can omit the book choy.
Recipes from Panlasang Pinoy is very helpful. Thank you and more power…