Buttered Pork Guinataan

Ever tried cooking pork by combining butter with gata (coconut cream)? I know it sounds strange but some strange combinations sometimes result in some pretty wonderful dishes. This was my kids’ packed lunch for today. See, their school bus goes on a second trip at around 11.00 a.m. when the pre-schoolers are picked up. One of those pre-schoolers live in the same subdivision as ours. So, I have this standing arrangement with the bus driver that during days when I am unable to prepare the kids’ packed lunches by the time they leave at 5.45 a.m., would he please pass by our gate, honk the horn so I can send the kids’ their lunch…?? That way, the kids can eat their lunch while still hot. And, during such days, they can have dishes that will otherwise spoil had they been packed at dawn.

Ingredients :

350 g. of pork cutlets
1/4 c. of butter
1/2 head of garlic
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 c. of coconut cream
salt and pepper
patis

Cooking procedure :

Pork cutlets are slices of lean pork. Usually, they are about one-fourth inch in thickness. They are available, fat removed and pre-cut, in some supermarkets. If you can’t get pork cutlets, use pork tenderloin then cut them into one-fourth inch thick slices. Please do not use a cut of pork that takes long to cook. This is a quick-cooking dish and the pork should be thoroughly cooked in about fifteen to twenty minutes.

Use kakanggata (thick coconut cream) or the first extraction from grated coconut. The cooked dish should be almost dry; using thinned gata may result in a soupy dish.

Peel and mince the garlic.

Peel and thinly slice the onion.

Roughly chop the tomatoes.

Core, deseed and dice the bell pepper.

Cut the pork slices into strips about three-quarters of an inch wide and three inches long. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a skillet. When hot, pan fry the pork until no longer pink. Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes and bell pepper. Cook, stirring, for about a minute or until the vegetables soften a bit. Pour in the gata (coconut cream) and season with patis. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, until the gata thickens and has almost evaporated.

Serve hot with steamed rice.