Patatim is an heirloom Tsinoy dish, braised until tender, and served with a thick hearty sauce. This time, however, Pato or Duck replaces the pork leg. But the process is still the same.

Ingredients:

• 500 g pork leg (pata)
• 1 cup button mushrooms, halved
• 1 head bok choy, cleaned
• 1 whole carrot, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups soy sauce
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 pieces of star anise
• 1 cinnamon bark (or 1 tsp. cinnamon powder)
• 1/2 tbsp. patis
• slurry (1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp. water)
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Procedure:

• Boil the pato in soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon bark.
• Continue to boil until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Add more soy sauce and water.  Do not allow to dry.
• When the meat is very tender and its skin is gelatinous already, remove star anise and cinnamon bark (these are inedible), add mushrooms and allow to simmer.
• Season with salt or fish sauce (patis).  To make the sauce thicker, add slurry.
• In a separate pot, blanch bok choy in boiling salted water until bright green. Refresh in ice water and set aside. Next, boil the carrots until cooked but still crispy. Set aside.
• Serve the patotim warm with the carrots and bok choy.

Serves 4