Chickpeas with pork belly make a delicious combination, since chickpeas can be dry when cooked on their own. Enjoy this rich chickpeas with pork belly stew, packed with fiber and protein. Easy print recipe.
Get your chickpeas ready: Start with 1 lb. of dry chickpeas. Soak them in water overnight, so they will cook more quickly. Then, add 4 cups of water and allow them to boil for a half hour. Add one teaspoon of salt. They are now ready for the pork.
Chickpeas with pork belly stew
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of cooked chickpeas or two cans of chickpeas
- 2 lbs. of pork belly
- 4 medium-sized tomatoes
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 large carrot
- 2 medium-sized potatoes
- 1 large red onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 4 leaves of fresh basil or one teaspoon of dry basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of ground annatto seeds bija or achiote
Instructions
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Chop all the vegetables, including the tomatoes, into small pieces of about 1X1 inch
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Cut the pork into cubes (about 2X2 inches in size).
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In a saucepan, add the oil and allow to heat on medium-high.
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Add the sugar and the onions and stir until they start to brown.
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Add the pork, the ground annatto seeds, the basil, the oregano and the garlic. Stir.
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Add two cups of water (from the boiled chickpeas) and the cubed tomatoes.
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Cover and allow to boil in medium fire for 40 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to make sure the water does not evaporate. If it does, add more chickpea water.
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After 40 minutes, check the pork for tenderness. If it feels hard when you poke with a fork, allow it to boil for another 10 minutes.
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When pork is almost tender, add the celery, the carrots, and the potatoes. Stir and allow to boil covered for 15 minutes.
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At this point, add the salt and pepper.
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Add the soft chickpeas, stir and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
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Serve with plain rice or your favorite grain.
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Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
You may have leftovers! This stew tastes even better reheated. Just add a bit of water if needed and simmer in medium low heat for 10 minutes.
