Māʻa Tinito (Tahitian Chinese-Style Pork, Red Bean, and Macaroni Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 6-quart Dutch oven or thick-bottomed stew pot
• •Kitchen scissors for cutting soaked cellophane noodles
• •Wooden spoon for scraping the browned base

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the pork

   Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season the pork lightly, then brown it in batches until the edges turn deep brown and glossy. Don't crowd the pot. That dark bottom is where the broth starts getting its backbone.

2. 2

   Build the base

   Lower the heat to medium and add the onion to the same pot. Cook until it softens and picks up the browned bits, then stir in the garlic and ginger until they smell warm and sharp, about one minute. Add the soy sauce, dark soy if using, oyster sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and black pepper, and stir until the pork is stained dark and shining.

3. 3

   Braise with beans

   Return all the pork to the pot, add the red beans and stock, and bring it to a gentle boil. Drop the heat low, cover partly, and simmer 45 to 60 minutes, until the pork gives under a spoon and the beans start thickening the broth. If it gets tight before the pork is tender, add a little more stock. Eat what you have, but don't rush the pot.

4. 4

   Cook the macaroni

   Stir in the macaroni and keep the stew at a steady simmer. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often so the pasta doesn't catch on the bottom, until the elbows are just tender and the broth has turned starchy and rich. Māʻa tinito should be spoonable and hearty, not dry.

5. 5

   Add the noodles

   Cut the soaked cellophane noodles once or twice with scissors so they don't tangle, then fold them into the pot with the cabbage or bok choy. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes, just until the greens soften and the clear noodles drink in the sauce. Taste for salt, soy, and pepper.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat and let the stew sit 10 minutes so the noodles settle and the broth clings to everything. Spoon it over rice and finish with green onion. This is food for a full table, not one precious bowl, so put the pot where hands can reach.

Chef Tips

• •Pork belly gives the richest pot, pork shoulder gives a leaner one that still braises soft. Use what you have. No need make it precious.
• •Cooked dried beans taste deeper, but canned red beans are normal weeknight food and they work. Rinse them well so the broth tastes like pork and soy, not can water.
• •Keep extra stock nearby. Macaroni and cellophane noodles keep drinking after the heat turns off, so loosen the pot before serving if it tightens up.
• •This is Tahitian comfort food with Chinese roots, so honor both hands. For the family stories and the old Papeʻete ways of making it, go sit with Tahitian and Chinese-Tahitian cooks who carry it.

Advance Preparation

• •Braise the pork and beans up to one day ahead, then add the macaroni, cellophane noodles, and greens when reheating so they don't swell too soft.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently with a splash of stock or water because the noodles will thicken the pot overnight.
• •If cooking dried red beans, soak them the night before and cook until tender before starting the stew.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)