Easy Pork Tabungao (Pork with Chinese Long Squash Soup)

Here is a dish my grandfather would cook for me when I was little. It brings back so much memories. The pork is soft and tender with the sweet taste of the squash. The broth is rich and delightful on a cold night. Heat the soup and add cold rice and you got a typical Ilocano dish easy to cook and prepare. This dish is now one of my wife Aurora's favorite requests. I hope you guys like it. :O)





























Ingredients:

2-3lbs fresh pork chops, sliced thin (pork ribs is also good)
1 2lb small chinese long squash, peeled, cut lengthwise, then cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 round yellow union, sliced thin
1 whole red ripe tomato, halved and sliced thin
2 fresh cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled, and minced fine
1 whole bay leaf, ripped in half
2-4 Tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam or patis)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
dash MSG to taste (optional)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
fresh cold water
canola or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

Heat a 6qt pot with cover. Add 2Tbsp canola oil and heat til smoking. Add pork and stir fry. Brown and cook pork well done about 10-15mins on high heat. Season with pepper and bayleaf while frying. Add onions, tomato, and garlic. Continue to stir fry until vegetables are translucent and wilted. Add additional oil if needed. Add 4-6 cups of fresh water to pot, cover and bring meat to a nice boil then lower heat to simmer. Simmer til meat is tender. Add fish sauce, MSG, and white vinegar to soup. Add squash to pot and cover. Cook til squash is soft. Add more pepper and patis to adjust to your taste. Serve with white rice.

Serves 3-4

Let's kaukau!! Enjoy! :O)















Chinese long squash or "upo" in Tagalog or "tabungao" in Ilocano.