Balbacua (Balat ng Baka) - Zamboanga Style

Ingredients

• 1 kilo Balat o Maskara ng Baka
• 1/4 Giniling na Mani or peanut butter
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• 4 to 5 garlic, peeled and pounded
• P5 atsuete
• P10 ginger
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 -2pcs Red Bell Pepper
• 2 pcs Beef Cubes
• 1 pack Saging Saba
• 5-10 cups water
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoon cooking oil

Instructions

1. Clean the Beef Skin or Mazkara. Cut it by pieces.1x1 inch is ideal.
2. Put in a pressure cooker with water above the beef. Put the salt and ginger. This is about 30 mins to 1 hour. I preferred 1 hour to become softy,
3. Let it stay in the pressure cooker for 1 hour with minimum heat. Test the beef skin by pinching it by fork or eat 1 piece.
4. Remove some water from the pressure cooker. The remaining water will be use later as its soup.
5. While waiting for the beef to tenderize, boil 1/4 cup of water for the atsuete.
6. Remove the Beef Skin by using strainer and leave it for a while.
7. Saute the garlic, onion and ginger. When light brown, add the beef skin. Saute for 3-5 minutes to absorb the taste to beef skin.
8. Add the Atsuete Fluid,
9. Boiled the Saba Banana.(This will be the partner)
10. Put back to the pressure cooker or a new casserole if you want. As of now, Balbacua willl be reddish in color.
11. Add the roasted peanut or peanut butter, tomato paste, bell pepper and beef broth or 2pcs beef cubes.
12. If the taste is good now, add the spring onions and vetsin. Serve with boiled saba banana.

Optional: Add Pineapple, Star Anise Seeds, Black Beans and/or Chilies (For Cebu Style)