Transcript for: Exploring Diverse Humba Recipes in Philippines
Humba around the Philippines! - We love our pageants
in the Philippines, so this show
is an ode to that. We will not be nominating
or celebrating Miss Regional or Miss Congeniality here. What we're doing
is selecting a dish that is made
in very different ways depending on
where you find yourself in the country, and each of us
will be assigned one particular province
or region. But to make sure
that we're doing things properly and authentically,
we will make sure that we are contacting locals
from those actual regions to help us basically narrate
their recipes and tell us about
the local intricacies that go into them. So today, I'm going
to be doing Pampanga... - Cebu. - Leyte. - Northern Mindanao. - Samar. - Dumaguete. - Ey! - Hey! Musta na ka?
(How are you?) Minabak naka?
(Have you eaten?) As you can tell,
I have been given the hardest province
to work on which is Pampanga. Pampanga is always
a cultural and culinary behemoth when it comes
to food in general. So today, we are talking
with the chef owner of Apag Marangle
who's going to walk us through this recipe. - During the planting season,
they cook humba, and then they'll bury it
underground. And then, during harvest,
as celebration, that's the time they'll get
the buried humba to serve as a feast. - When you're using pork belly,
just make sure to square like this.
Not only does it look really pretty,
but it also serves a function in making sure
that the marinade, which you should leave
for about an hour, penetrates that meat. One of the main differences
that we found during our research
is you should use the pig's neck
which is very, very fatty. And honestly, a lot
of the modern variations don't necessarily use it
just because it's just so intense
and so fatty. So we're going to be using
some pork belly here. Some other people also use
some pata (pork hock). You get a lot of flavor
from the bones there, too. But again, pork belly
is completely acceptable. - So whenever there's humba
during a fiesta or special occasion,
we get excited to eat humba. - So this recipe,
like other recipes that you might find,
calls for a lot of tahure. If you have tahure
and you buy it from the market and it doesn't smell
like alcohol, that usually means
it was literally just marinated in soy sauce. Tahure, that's fermented.
Remember, it's fermented. You need that alcoholic smell
and flavor that comes out, so that's really key
to most of these dishes. We're then going
to use some dried oregano, commonly found in households
in the Philippines. Use brown sugar. The Kapampangan humba
is very, very sweet. Finally, we have whole pieces
of garlic. We have some bay leaves. And all that just
gets mixed together. - There's a sugarcane
business here, and also many sugar plantations,
so that's why we love to use sugar in our cooking. - This is a pretty cool thing
that they do, they add these sugarcane sticks
traditionally in the bottom which help kind
of just prop up the pork and the ingredients. Comes out of preference
but also what this adds is just a lot of flavor
to the dish, because you are going
to be using the sugarcane, so the sugarcane
will impart a very kind of distinct sweetness
to the overall dish. - Humba is still cooked
in the traditional way, like we're using clay pot
or palayok, and then we put salasala. 'Salasala' is the bamboo
that’s placed underneath the pot so that the food doesn’t burn. And then we just put
the marinated pork. It's slow-cooked
for about three hours. - Now, Kapampangans
are very known for doing things differently
depending on the households that you find yourselves in, and it's just kind
of understanding where a recipe comes from,
and then understanding who's making them,
their direct vicinity, and what they have available
in terms of ingredients, and then things start
to kind of fall in place and make sense. Palayok is now sealed
with our banana leaves. All we need to do now
is wait patiently for three hours. - It can be done on wood fires
because, of course, in the old days,
wood fires were used. But now,
you can also use a stove, but the heat should be very low
because we don’t want the sauce to burn
at the bottom. Just low heat. - Three hours later
and this looks like it's about done. That pork looks
so incredibly tender. We decided to start
with Pampanga simply because
the whole point of this episode is not only to showcase
regional varieties but also to hammer
in people's heads that depending
on the communities, the villages, the municipalities
that you find yourself in within a certain region,
you might have different ways and different recipes
of doing things. So it's very hard to claim
that there's one traditional way to make a Kapampangan humba. Pork pieces, nice and tender. Go for it, Marts. - The sweetness is different
when you use sugarcane. - Yeah. So there's
a smoky undertone. I think it's both the char
that the banana leaves get, 'cause they're quite dark, see, and then the ones
from the sugarcane give that kind of like earthy,
smoky flavor. - It's good since we started
with low heat. You know, the syrup,
the liquid starts, you know, seeping out. - And flavor-wise,
I did add a lot of palm sugar,
but it doesn't come off as overly sweet. - So this one you can't
really say it's adobo at all. 'Cause some people say
when they taste humba... - This doesn't taste...
Yeah. This really taste like it's own distinct thing. And I think the tahure
being so like funky and fermented,
you can really taste that, but in a good way. Pampanga, approved. Not that you needed
my approval. I mean, you are
a whole region. - Maayong buntag!
(Good morning!) Now that Erwan has finished
his Kapampangan version, it's time for the Cebuano. They love humba
so much there that they have
a festival for it, and we got our recipe
from Chef June of Waterfront Airport
Hotel and Casino, so I know it's legit. We'll see how it's different
from the taste, the process, and technique, and even ingredients. - When you cook humba,
it's very simple, you marinate the pork
with salt and pepper and soy sauce. - So the humba of Cebuanos,
the main difference would be the sugar
that they use and the cooking process. - We use kulon or clay pot. Also, sugnod, or your wood,
to add smokiness to the humba. - But since
we only have one palayok and Mr. Erwan
already used it, we'll just use a kawa
(flat pot). So there, very low heat. If the heat's high,
what will happen is you'll end up burning
your pork without rendering the fat. Pork is browned,
just set this aside for a few minutes. Turn off my heat. - In the pan,
you will add muscovado or kinugay,
then allow it to caramelize. Then, once it caramelized,
you add the spring onions or the scallions. Make it like a banig (mat)
which is to protect the meat from sticking to the bottom. - Crushed garlic,
some red onions, dried banana blossoms, tausi, three pieces
of star anise, whole peppercorn, two bay leaves. Some salt. Soy sauce. Some water. - Then, a little bit of soda. Then, cover it
and simmer it or braise it for at least an hour. Cook it slowly. - So it's been an hour. - We Cebuanos believe
that the more you cook it and store it,
it'll become more softer and tastier. And you serve it
with corn grits or with ginamos (fish paste),
then humba is done. Humba is our "halad"
or offering to our visitors that would visit Cebu. Humba is a food
that is very special and close to the heart
of every Cebuanos, because once it's done,
it gathers family in the table, and it's more fun to eat
on the table with humba. - So I need someone
to taste with me. - That's me. (chuckles) - So we have to taste as is
and with rice. - Okay. Tender. - It has a bit of an asado vibe
when you open it. - Yeah. Chinese asado. - I like it. But it's like pata tim, right? - I was about to say,
it tastes like pata tim. It's not as sweet
as I thought It would be. - Maybe you need to eat it
with a lot of rice. - What is it again, yummy? Lami (delicious). This humba is delicious. - This is the kind of dish
that will help you get through the vicissitudes
of life, right? (claps) Rainy days, traffic. - It's perfect with rice. - Maayong gabii, Dumagueteños.
(Good evening, Dumagueteños) - I'm Sam,
I'm from Dumaguete, and today, I am making
Dumaguete's version of humba. I got this recipe
from Chef Matt Villamil of Restaurant Unknown. He is a good friend of mine.
We actually both started our restaurants before in 2021. I know he judged
one humba competition, and that is why I asked
for his help for this dish. - What makes our humba different
from other places is, first, we render the pork
and we do confit until it's crispy,
then we braise it until it's back to fork-tender. - A lot of its natural oil
is going to come out of the meat,
so that will act as your oil for confit. So this is what
we are looking for. - Once it's ready,
we try to air-dry it. And in a pot or a palayok,
we use the lard, or pork fat, then we sauté it
with onions, garlic, and other aromatics
like dried banana blossoms, bay leaf, whole peppercorns. - The recipe actually calls
for cinnamon leaves. Unfortunately,
we couldn't find any, so I asked Matt,
we can actually use cinnamon bark
with a combination of laurel leaves. Salted black beans. Black peppercorns. Coconut vinegar. Dried shitake mushrooms. Rat's ears or black fungus. Muscovado sugar
which I got from Baslay farms which is located
in Negros Oriental. Gabi (taro). And lastly, a soda
of your choice. - We braise it
for about two hours on slow heat
or until fork-tender. - What makes our humba different
from other places is we do use mushrooms,
dried shitake mushrooms and taro, which I think
improves the flavor and the umami of the humba. One thing that most reminds me
about humba is that every summer since I was a kid,
we would always go home to Dumaguete,
and on most gatherings, we always had humba
on our spread. - Impressing or pleasing someone
through cooking humba is like finding a chimera,
it is very hard because it all boils down
to tradition, preference, and nostalgia. So the person who I'm calling
to taste this today is Ynna from Bacolod. (applauds) - Ey! - Ey! And hopefully,
she will like this. I would suggest
you get every part, like the ears. - Oh. - Yeah. Especially the skin. That is my favorite part. Did you taste the ears? - This is actually
my first time trying fried humba. It's deep fried, right? - Confit. - It's so good. - This is my favorite part. - And it's so unique
'cause there's mushrooms. This is the only humba
with mushrooms, I think. It's delicious. Lami kaayo (Very delicious). - Maupay na adlaw ha iyo nga tanan!
(Good day to you all!) My name is Ynna,
and today I will be making Leyte's version of humba. Let's go! So I spoke
to Tito Vernon Soledad, specifically from Jaro, Leyte. - Here in our province
in Jaro, Leyte, this is how we cook humba. We first boil the pork belly. - So we are going
to be letting this boil for about 20-30 minutes. - While the meat is boiling,
we prepare the ingredients. - So typically in provinces,
they use palayok to use cook their humba,
but it's been used already, so we are going to be opting
for kawa. So we're going to put
the pork into the kawa. - First, soy sauce, vinegar,
pineapple juice, garlic, onion, kalamay, banana blossom,
pepper, tablea or cocoa, peanuts or black beans,
and salt. - Let's just thoroughly mix it
to combine the ingredients. - The difference in our humba is
because of the ingredients, as we mix in tablea, kalamay,
peanuts, and black beans. Secondly, we cook it
in a clay pot using charcoal and coconut husk as fuel. - Let's cover it up with a lid
and turn on our stove. It takes quite a long wait,
around 2-3 hours. We'll see you right back. So a little fun fact,
you might actually see me more on shorts,
and this is my first long-form, so I'm kind of nervous. So I'm actually really excited
to be with FEATR's content creators
from different parts of the Philippines. And I am actually
from the province of Bacolod, so Ilonggo represent. An Ilongga
is always beautiful. Just kidding. Ooh! Look at our sauce. - Growing up,
that’s what we would prepare during fiestas
because it’s what guests always ask to take home
since the longer it sits, the better our humba
tastes here. - I'm actually looking forward
to tasting this because I haven't had chocolate
in humba before. So with me,
I will call on Trish for tasting. - It's such an honor
to be able to taste your first dish. (applauds) - In long-form.
Yes. - This is really delicious,
I’m sure, because I cooked it. - Cheers!
Cheers! - It's so unique. You won’t actually taste
the tablea. It adds richness to the dish,
but it doesn't like... boom, tablea. - Can you do it again? - Boom. (laughs) - And I think it makes
the sauce thicker. Because tablea without sugar
is pretty bitter, or it’s like, you know, more neutral.
So it’s okay. - And I love
how they put peanuts. - I think it adds
a good texture, right? Good job, Ynna. It’s delicious
because you cooked it. - Thank you. Over 10. 10. - All right. 10. For you, it's 10. - Maupay na adlaw (Good day)
to all our viewers. Hi, I'm Trish,
and I'm representing the province of Samar. Today, we are going
to cook this humba recipe that came from a family friend
and churchmate, who I'd like to call Tita Weng
who grew up in Catarman, Northern Samar. - Humba is the most prominent
in our province. It's the king of the table. It's like the feast
isn't complete without humba. - But of course,
what makes this humba special is definitely the pineapple. And we are going
to be cooking it in a palayok. So you might think
this way of cooking is quite anachronistic
but trust me because it gives
a different flavor to our dish. Let's go. - So they put it
in the clay pot, then they combine
all the ingredients. - So traditionally
in Samar province, I was told by Tita Weng
that what they use is the pork belly,
and then they cut like squares on top of it,
kind of making like a checkered pattern. But now, they actually cut it
in adobo- or sinagang-style cut so that it's easier for you
to recreate it at home, plus it won't take you
so long to get that meat really tenderized. So there,
just a little sautéing, and then we can add
a bit of water. This is 1 1/2 cups
of soy sauce. A little bit of sugar. Our peppercorns. Our laurel leaves. And of course,
the star of our show, or what makes
Samar humba very different, is the pineapple chunks. - The taste
of the pineapple chunks blends with the saltiness. - And of course,
because we follow the saying of the elders, we have to put the vinegar
but no stirring. - That clay pot is covered
with leaves. - So traditionally
they put a banana leaf, but for now,
we're going to do it a little bit more
on the modernized way, so just close it
and wait for it to cook. - It’s boiled until it dries
so that all the ingredients seep into the meat. The fat is so soft it moves,
and it melts in your mouth. I cook it continuously.
I want to pass it on to my children
so they can taste my favorite dish,
my family's favorite dish, because it reminds me
of my parents. Oh, I’m told
I’m getting teary-eyed. I cook it often
to remember them. - Humba, just like
in any other provinces, is something that they serve
during fiestas, so of course,
it’s more enjoyable when you have someone
to share it with. Let me call on my friend Nica
to taste the humba of Samar province. - Hey! From the looks of it,
it seems really delicious and mouthwatering. Wow. - That is good. - Good job, Trish. - Thanks, girl. Tita Weng, this is for you! - It's so delicious. Okay. - Our humba doesn't use
any pineapple, or like pineapple juice
or pineapple chunks. So this is actually pretty good
because it's something new for me. It's perfect in the mouth. - I love the pineapple also
because it adds like a sweetness to it,
and there's a different texture. - But there's a bit
of tanginess. - Right?
Yeah. Maayong adlaw sa tanan.
(Good day to all) I'm Nica from Osamis City, and today I'm going
to cook the humba version of my very own hometown,
Northern Mindanao. Northern Mindanao
is a very diverse region. Each city really
has its own take with the dish humba. That's why I realized
why not just share the recipe that I grew up with. So I called my mom,
and then asked her if she could share
the family recipe of humba. - Cooking humba
in our place usually happens during big celebrations
like fiestas. This is what the guests
really look forward to. We cook humba using wood fire. - What really makes cooking
humba delicious for me is this. This is truly OG. We call this a "kawa"
in our place. It would be even better
if we actually use wood fire, especially if we're going
to use coconut palms, because that really gives
humba its aroma. - We first sear the pork
until it becomes golden brown. Once the oil comes out,
we then sauté the garlic and onions. Then we add cola,
Visayan vinegar, soy sauce, black beans, muscovado,
and banana blossom. Once it starts to boil,
we add water. And when it boils again,
we lower the flame and continue stirring
to avoid burning the bottom. When the water starts
to reduce, we taste it, and if it's lacking in saltiness,
we can add salt to balance the sweetness and saltiness. - It's already so tender. This has been cooking
for almost three hours already. Most of our liquid has reduced,
and then we are left with this very beautiful sauce. - You can't really say
there's just one recipe for humba
in Northern Mindanao. Some use pineapple juice
as a sweetener. For us, it's muscovado
and cola. Others use bay leaf
and star anise; we don't. We also use pork belly
and pork mask. What I really remember
when eating humba as a child, especially during fiestas,
is waking up early and watching the pig
being butchered. Different groups handle
different dishes. My uncle, my aunties
handle other dishes, and I'm in charge
of the humba. Every time I eat humba,
that's what I remember. - And here's
our final humba dish. I hope, my family,
if you are watching now, that I was able to do justice
to our family's recipe. Of course,
if I'm the one tasting it, I would say it's delicious
because it's something I grew up with. That's why I want
to know the thoughts of those from the Visayas,
especially those from Dumaguete. Sam. Sam! I want to know your thoughts. - About what? - I want to know
your thoughts, like, how is it?
Is it delicious? - From what I can say
about it. So the main difference
is the maskara (pork mask)? - Yes. - Actually,
this is the first time I've seen this kind of humba.
Ah, really? - Yeah, actually. So I'm very excited, too. Oh my god. This is fiesta in my mouth. -True
Right? - You know, there's not enough
onomatopoeias to describe how good this humba is. - Actually, there is. - What? - Humbam! - Humbam! (laughs) - That's it. We have made
six different versions of humba from different regions. And personally, of course,
my favorite is my dish because it's what I'm used to. But I also found it interesting,
the Leyte version because there's tablea,
so that's very interesting, and the balance
of the sweetness is perfect. Also, the addition of the nuts. - I loved the humba
of Dumaguete because it has mushrooms,
so it's unique in that way. - I've never eaten
this much humba in my life. So aside from the one
that I made obviously, biased, I also really enjoyed
what Nica made because I didn't think
that the pork mask can be that tender. So, good job, girl. - Thanks. - What's really interesting
among the six is the Pampanga one. It's very fragrant,
pungent, and funky, lots of umami, too. So definitely keep an eye
on this one. - I like the Cebu one. It's super sweet,
almost syrupy. It's kind of like
that Chinese barbeque pork. If your preference is sweet
and sticky, you'll go for Cebu. You want that soft,
very aromatic perfumy humba, you'll go for the Kapampangan. You want that darkness
of the chocolate, texture of peanut,
they'll go for... Which one is this? - Leyte. - They'll go for Leyte. And that's how it is.
They're different. What should we do next? - We should do like sardines. - That's enough, Sam.
That's enough. (laughs) Stop. - Cut!