From the recipe collection
Lechon Kawali
Twice cooked pork belly that is simmered until tender then deep fried until blistered and crisp.
- Prep time
- 20m plus drying
- Cook time
- 1.5–2h
- Yield
- 4–6
Get everything ready
Ingredients
Tick ingredients as you prepare.
Method
- Place the pork belly slab in a pot with the onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and enough water to cover.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer 1–1.25 hours until the meat is tender but not falling apart.
- Carefully lift out the pork, drain well, and discard the aromatics. Pat the slab very dry with paper towels.
- Place the pork on a rack in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight so the skin dries thoroughly. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking; do not leave it fan-drying at room temperature for hours.
- When ready to fry, heat enough oil in a deep pot to about 180°C. Make sure the pot is large enough to allow for splattering when the pork goes in.
- Carefully lower the dried pork slab into the hot oil, skin side down first if possible. Fry about 10–15 minutes, turning once, until the skin is blistered and crisp and the meat is golden.
- Lift the lechon kawali onto a rack to drain and rest 10 minutes. Chop into bite sized pieces and serve with lechon sauce or spicy vinegar dip.