Make These Easy Pork Recipes For Your Preschooler's Baon

Thinking of what to pack for your child’s baon can be a challenge, but having a handy guide like the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Reasearch Insitute’s Pinggang Pinoy is a great place to start. The guide recommends filling your child's plate with a quarter of grow foods — that's foods that are rich in protein, like meats, eggs, and legumes.

One of the most common (and most affordable) meats you can cook with is pork, which is why we've put together these easy pork recipes that you can make when you're packing your preschooler's baon!

What Are The Health Benefits Of Pork?

Aside from just being high in protein, pork actually contains all nine essential amino acids, which help in your child's growth and in developing bodily functions. It is also rich in thiamine — a type of B vitamin that helps kids convert their food into energy. Pork is also an abundant source of zinc, which helps boost the immune system and strenghtends bones and teeth, along with vitamins B12 and B6 which also contribute to the development of blood formation and brain function.

Is Pork Healthy For Kids?

Just like any other food, it is best to eat pork in moderation. While it does contain lots of vitamins and minerals that are essential in your child's growth, eating too much pork (or more specifically, processed pork which more often than not contains high amounts of fat and salt) can have negative effects.

It might be tempting to go for some crispy bacon, and while it is all right to serve this to your preschooler every once in a while, your child will get far more health benefits from eating pork when they consume lean pork meat. This is where they can most of the vitamins and minerals; plus, when cooked right, these can also be the most tender, delicious parts of the meat!

Here Are Easy Pork Recipes To Make For Your Preschooler's Baon:

1. Taiwanese Fried Pork Chops

If your preschooler loves crispy, flavorful food, these Taiwanese fried pork chops are perfect for their baon! These pork chops have a unique taste because it's marinated in five-spice powder and Chinese rice wine. Don't worry—all the alcohol evaporates when the pork chops are fried, so all your child will get is the mild, sweet flavor from it to balance the soy sauce in the marinade.

Taiwanese Fried Pork Chop Recipe

• 1 kilo pork (use boneless pork chops), thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• vegetable oil (for frying)
• cornstarch (for dredging)
• rice (steamed), to serve (optional)

Instructions for this Taiwanese Fried Pork Chop Recipe are at Yummy.ph.

2. Turmeric Pork Chops

Incorporating turmeric, which is known to be anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic, is a great way to make your kids' baon more healthy—which is why making this turmeric pork chops recipe is genius! It's got a bit of heat from the cayenne pepper, but this can easily be replaced with garlic powder to make it milder. Pan-frying is the fastest way to cook these, but if you've got the time and want to reduce cooking with oil, you can roast these in an oven or even in your trusty air fryer! Simply pop them in, making sure the temperature is set to 180 degrees Celsius, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (time may vary depending on the thickness of your chops.

Turmeric Pork Chops Recipe

For the pork chops:

• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or garlic powder
• 2 150-gram pork, use pork chops
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

For the sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Cup yogurt
• 1/4 Cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• lemon juice

Instructions for this turmeric pork chops recipe are at Yummy.ph.

3. Pork Giniling With Patatas

Pork giniling is one of the simplest Filipino pork dishes you can make, but just because it's simple doesn't mean it isn't packed with nutrients for your child's baon! This pork giniling with patatas is made with the addition of potatoes, making it heartier. However, you can also add in chopped carrots or even green peas if you want to add more veggies to your child's diet.

Bonus Tip: Using lean ground pork ensures you get the most of the nutrients pork has to offer. In some groceries or wet markets, you can pick a cut of kasim (pork butt/ pork shoulder) or pigue (ham cut) and ask the butcher to grind it for you—this way, you are sure of which cuts are in your ground pork! You can also grind this yourself, if you've got time and a strong enough food processor or meat grinder at home.

Pork Giniling With Patatas Recipe

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium native tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 kilo ground pork
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed small
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Instructions for this pork giniling with patatas recipe are at Yummy.ph.

4. Pork Giniling na Menudo

We're not quite done with ground pork yet! If you thought cooking pork menudo is fast enough already, we've got a treat for you: cooking it with ground pork takes even less time. This pork giniling na menudo is proof that you can have it all—something nutritious, something delicious, and something that takes a few minutes to make!

Pork Giniling Na Menudo Recipe

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed small
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cubed small
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 kilogram ground pork
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon pickle relish
• 1/2 cup water
• ground black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

Instructions for this pork giniling na menudo recipe are at Yummy.ph.

5. Chinese-Style Pork Asado

One of the things we love the most about this recipe is that it's a great make-ahead recipe. You can marinate and roast a big batch of this Chinese-style pork asado recipe and freeze it until you're ready to serve! You can even already portion it so that you can simply thaw them in your refrigerator the night before you need them, and pop them in your oven or air fryer first thing in the morning while you prep your kids for school. It's super convenient, and not to mention: super delicious!

Chinese-Style Pork Asado Recipe

• 1 kilo pork tenderloin
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 pieces star anise
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 1-inch ginger

Instructions for this Chinese-style pork asado recipe are at Yummy.ph.

6. Adobo With Pork And Beans

This creative twist on adobo puts together two easy pork recipes: adobo and pork and beans! It's got the salty-sourness you and your kids love about adobo and the added sweetness from canned pork and beans. This adobo with pork and beans is an easy way to spruce up and add more protein to your regular pork adobo recipe.

Adobo With Pork and Beans Recipe

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 kilo pork kasim or pork shoulder, cubed large
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 390-gram can pork and beans
• water, as needed

Instructions for this adobo with pork and beans recipe are at Yummy.ph.

7. Pork Hamonado

Who says you could only enjoy pork hamonado during the high holidays? This delicious pork loin dish is a kind of set-it-and-forget-it recipe that will allow you to do other chores or tasks as you let your stove do all the work. Plus, you get extra fiber and vitamins from the pineapples in it, which not only helps tenderize the pork but adds an irresistible sweetness to the sauce.

Pork Hamonado Recipe

• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 kilo pork, use tenderloin or butt (pigue), sliced into large, thin slices (tapa)
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 large can pineapple, sliced and drained (around 20 ounces)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon liquid pork seasoning
• Salt to taste

Instructions for this pork hamonado recipe are at Yummy.ph.

8. Pork Meatballs in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Making bola-bola or pork meatballs is as easy as it gets. You can serve it as is or make it more appetizing by serving it up in a sweet and sour sauce! That's exactly what you can do with this pork meatballs in sweet and sour sauce recipe, which not only has carrots in it—it's also got pineapple chunks for extra flavor and fiber. You can make the meatballs ahead of time, and simply whip up the sauce when you're ready to pack it in your preschooler's baon!

Pork Meatballs in Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

For the pork meatballs:

• 1/2 kilo ground pork
• 1 medium carrot, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tablespoon Flour
• Oil for frying

For the sweet and sour sauce:

• 1 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• 1 small red bell pepper, julienned
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions for this pork meatballs in sweet and sour sauce recipe are at Yummy.ph.

8. Tomato-Braised Pork Steaks

It's hard to just have one serving of these tomato-braised pork steaks, particularly because it's got such an irresistible umami flavor and it's savory, sweet, and tangy at the same time. It's the kind of flavor-bombing dish that your kids will love, but the best part is that you can always make a big batch when you want to make it ahead and it will taste delicious no matter how many times it's reheated!

Tomato Braised Pork Steaks Recipe

• 5 pieces pork steaks
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 piece beef bouillon cube
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• salt to taste
• ground pepper to taste

Instructions for this tomato-braised pork steaks recipe are at Yummy.ph.

10. Pork Broccoli Stir-Fry

We can't help it: pairing vegetables with delicious meat is one of the best ways to incorporate vegetables into the diets of picky eaters, and this pork broccoli stir-fry recipe is so delicious that it's hard to not like it! It uses pork tenderloin, which is an easy pork cut to prepare as it is naturally tender, and while we've used broccoli in this recipe, you can swap it out with any other veggie you'd like your child to try.

Easy Pork with Broccoli Recipe

• 400 grams pork tenderloin, sliced into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 inch ginger sliced
• 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
• ¼ cup oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 large head of broccoli cut into florets, blanched
• Sesame seeds toasted, to serve
• Sesame oil to serve 

Instructions for this easy pork with brocccoli recipe are at Yummy.ph.