Lechon Kawali Recipe

Lechon is the Spanish word for suckling pig. Lechon simply means slowly roasting the whole pig, chicken or calf over charcoal while brushing oil until the skin pops and becomes crunchy. Another popular version of Lechon is called Lechon Kawali or Pan-roasted pork. It is also known as Bagnet in Ilocos. Lechon kawali is cooked by deep frying slabs of pork belly until you get a delightful crisp, crackling skin which has a salty exterior and a moist tender meat.

There are many ways of cooking this delightful recipe, some cook it after having the meat frozen, others incorporate  sun-drying methods to make the skin crispy. I will share 2 ways on how to prepare Lechon kawali and the dips that we use with it.

 Ingredients:

• 2 lbs  pork belly

• 2 tbsp  salt

• 2 tbsp whole peppercorns

• 5-6 pieces of dried bay leaves

• 3 cloves of garlic crushed

• 4 1/2 cups of water

• peanut/canola oil for deep frying or a Turbo broiler 

• (optional) baking soda

Steps:

Method 1:

•   Pour the water into a big pot and bring it to a boil.

• Put-in the pork belly and add in the peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon of salt. Let it simmer under low heat for 30-45 minutes or until the meat is tender

• Remove the meat from the pot and let it cool down for about 5-8 minutes

• Rub the remaining 1 tbsp of salt  to the meat, spreading it out evenly

• Deep fry the meat using a cooking pot or a deep fryer until it turns brown and crispy turn the meat over to cook the other side.

• Remove the meat from the pot/ fryer and let it cool down for a few minutes.

•  Chop it to desirable pieces and serve hot with your favorite dip. Enjoy! 

Method 2:

• Pour the water into a big pot and bring it to a boil

• Put-in the pork belly and add in the peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon of salt. Let it simmer under low heat for 30-45 minutes or until the meat is tender.  

•  Remove the meat from the pot and let it cool down for about 5-8 minutes

• Rub the remaining 1 tbsp of salt  to the meat, spreading it out evenly

• Rub a small amount of baking soda to the pork skin; this will make the skin pop and really crispy.

• Preheat your Turbo broiler for 5 minutes, then put the meat in and set it to broil for 45-60 minutes until it turns brown and crispy.

•   Remove the meat from the broil and let it cool down  for a few minutes

•  Chop it to desirable pieces and serve hot with your favorite dip. Enjoy!

DIP:

• 5 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 small onion or 3 shallots
• 1 clove garlic minced
• red chillis