TBJ KITCHEN: How to make the crispiest Lechon Kawali of your life

I love Lechon Kawali and I love it more when it's crispy AF and the crunch sound would explode in my mouth. Lechon Kawali in restaurants is expensive and usually sold as a set meal. Bummer.

I recreated this famous Filipino dish at home; I am so satisfied with the result and most of all, the crispiness! Here's how to make the crispiest, restaurant- style Lechon Kawali at home!

Ingredients:

1/4 Lechon belly, good for 3 people (not the strips; request the cut intended for deep fry Lechon Kawali)
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. fish sauce (patis)
2 packs of whole black pepper
4-5 bay leaves (laurel)
1 garlic bulb cut in half
Cooking oil

Prepare the lechon belly. Make sure it has an ample amount of fat and meat. I also like piercing the meat to facilitate even cooking.

Pre-heat water in a pot. When water is finally boiling, add fish sauce, bay leaves, garlic, pepper, and lechon belly. Boil everything for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take out the meat and air dry for 15 minutes or until it is cool. I also tried the thinly- sliced Lechon Kawali for this recipe for comparison and realized that whole lechon belly is better for deep frying.

TIP: For out of this world crispiness, pre- cook the meat and refrigerate the meat overnight before frying.

After you either air dry or refrigerate the meat, salt it all over.

Pre- heat cooking oil in a deep- frying pan. Make sure it's piping hot before dunking the meat.

While waiting for the oil to heat up, prepare the sauce. I like my Lechon Kawali with vinegar with chopped garlic and pepper. I also like it with Mang Tomas and Atchara.

Time for the main event. Slowly put the meat into the piping hot cooking oil. Be extra careful when dealing with hot oil and most especially at the first few minutes of frying because the oil will pop like crazy! Fry for 30 minutes. 5 minutes before frying time ends, turn up the heat to get that lovely golden brown color. 

If you're cooking more than one slab, fry in batches to ensure that each slab is properly cooked.

After 30 minutes, transfer the meat to a chopping board. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Don't worry, it won't turn chewy; the whole process of cooking ensured that this Lechon Kawali will stay crispy for a long time. In fact, it even gets crispier as it cools!

Use a meat cleaver for easier slicing. Take a look at the golden outside and juicy inside; this is a nicely- cooked lechon belly; be sure to stick with the 30 minute frying time to avoid overcooking and ending up with dry, burnt meat.

Serve with hot white rice. Enjoy!

Sky's the limit! Have all the amount of lechon kawali that you want without worrying about restaurant bill shock with this recipe! Tag me at @thebeautyjunkee on Instagram and my Facebook fan page (The Beauty Junkee) if you try this recipe! ;)