There are many ways to cook Lechon Kawali. This is the version that I do during Christmas and special occasions because the result of this recipe is always tasty and yummy. The pork is juicy and tender, while the skin is brown and crispy. There is a good combination of taste and texture in every bite.
Christmas eve is the busiest day for me in the entire year. This is when I spend most of my time in the kitchen prepping for my family’s Christmas dinner. We usually prepare eight or more dishes to partake with family and friends. This version of Lechon Kawali is what I always make every year. It is always a hit no matter what dipping sauce you use, it even works without any sauce at all.
Lechon Kawali does not come out this good in an instant. You will have to prepare the pork belly first by boiling it until tender. I boil the pork with dried bay leaves, whole peppercorn, and Knorr Pork Cube so that the pork can absorb the flavor from the broth. This makes it tastier.
I also marinate the pork in Knorr Liquid Seasoning before deep frying. This provides additional flavor to the pork that makes the final result a winner. No need for any sauce at all, unless you insist. If you do, you may want to consider this lechon sauce recipe.
This dish is served along with other dishes that the entire family prepared during Noche Buena (Christmas Eve dinner). Cooking our favorite food together as a family makes the event more special. It builds memories that I cherish and will be cherishing for the rest of my life.
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa iyo at sa iyong pamilya.
Try this Lechon Kawali Recipe. Let me know what you think.
Lechon Kawali
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. pork belly
- 1 piece Knorr pork cube
- 5 pieces dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorn
- ¼ cup Knorr Liquid Seasoning
- 8 to 10 cups water
- 4 cups cooking oil
Instructions
- Boil water in a cooking pot.
- Add whole peppercorn, bay leaves, and Knorr Pork Cube. Stir.
- Add the pork belly. Cover the pot and continue to boil in medium heat for 45 minutes. You can add more water if needed.
- Remove the pork belly from the cooking pot and place in a clean plate. Let it cool down. Note: you can keep the pork stock for later use. This can be consumed to cook pork based soups and stews.
- Rub Knorr liquid seasoning all over the boiled pork belly. Let it stay for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a deep cooking pot. Once the oil gets hot enough (300F), gently put the pork belly into the pot. Deep-fry the pork in medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes. Note: make sure to partially cover the pot or use a splatter screen to protect yourself from the oil.
- Turn the pork belly over. Continue to fry the opposite side for 8 minutes or until the skin gets crisp and brown.
- Remove the crispy deep fried pork belly (lechon kawali) from the cooking pot. Arrange in a plate with wire rack or paper towel. Let it cool down. Slice the pork into serving pieces.
- Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with your favorite sauce.
- Share and enjoy!
Nutrition
Watch the video on How to Cook Lechon Kawali
CecelRamos says
Hi Vanjo, I liked watching your videos and really loved to cooked all you’ve shared videos and tips for cooking
Thanku for inspiring me , Happy New year 2019 and May God bless you and more cooking videos to watch
Cecile Grace Matulac says
Hi. I enjoy watching your cooking demos and frequently use your recipes in my dishes. Thank you for these videos, I get to love cooking more because everything seems yummy and easy in your demos. I noticed, however, that you always use pounds instead of kilos in your weight measurements. Could you just provide metric measurements alongside the pounds that you use? Everything is metric here so that’s it. Again, please continue teaching us how to cook these delicious local dishes. I appreciate it very much.
Ross Galán says
Here in Spain pork usually doesn’t have much taste much as hogs are raised industrially (“Walang kalasang-lasa”) unlike the one in the Philippines especially in the “probinsiya”.
The only differences with the one above is that…
1) I put as many herbs AND spices as possible in the casserole before boiling the belly to remove the “malansa” smell
2) I throw the broth away as the pork belly had released so much fat
The rest of the procedures for cooking a “Lechón Kawali” is the same.
Gaye Tabernero says
thanks for the video, very informative.. nagkaroon ako ng idea kung paano gawin at pagluto 🙂
Have a prosperous new year to you and your family!
Vanjo Merano says
You are very welcome, Gaye.