Paksiw is a Filipino cooking method. With fish and seafood, paksiw means cooking with a sour base. The souring agent is usually vinegar or kamias. When cooking meat, paksiw means braising the meat in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. With paksiw na pata (pork leg with knuckles), a few sprigs of dried oregano and handful of bulaklak ng saging is added for flavor. Despite the name, bulaklak ng saging, or banana blossoms, do not come from the banana plant. They are dried lily buds. What is known in the west as banana blossoms is called puso ng saging (banana heart) locally. Pork pata may be the front or hind leg. The front is preferred since it is meatier.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 pork “pata” (pork leg with knuckels)
* 3/4 cup vinegar
* 3/4 cup soy sauce
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 whole garlic
* 1 onion
* 2 bay leaves
* pepper corns
* 1 tsp. dried oregano
* a handful banana blossoms (bulaklak ng saging) or Lily flower buds
* some water

HOW TO…….