PORK SPICY SA GATA

This recipe was purely unplanned. I'm supposed to cook Pork binagoongan sa gata but I forgot to check if we still have bagoong. Lucky, we have samabal oelek. I don't know if this will taste OK but I followed my instinct and ended up with this. Hubby and my sister loved it. :)

Ingredients:
1 Kilo pork belly (liempo), cubed
2 tablespoons corn oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 white onion, minced
5 small tomatoes, chopped
3 tsp Sambal Oelek (Thai Heritage brand)
3 tablespoons vinegar
1½ teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggplants, sliced diagonally
½ cup coconut cream

Instructions:
Place cubed liempo in a stockpot. cover with water and let it boil for at least 15 minutes. Prepare the rest of the ingredients while the meat is cooking. Pour corn oil into a hot pan. Sauté garlic and onions until softened. Add tomatoes and cook until softened too. Stir-fry Sambal Oelek then put in boiled pork pieces and ½ cup of boiling water used to the pork.

Simmer until pork softens, then add vinegar and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more pork broth if necessary. When pork is fork-tender, add sliced eggplants and coconut cream. Bring to a boil and simmer until the mixture thickens and the eggplant is soft about 10 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.