Lechon Kawali is a very popular dish in the Philippines, because let’s admit it, the Filipinos love everything that is pork. We love it so much that we try to utilize every part of the pig and make it into something creatively delicious.
Despite having a longer average time of preparing this dish you can commonly see it almost everywhere, ranging from carinderias, to school canteens, and to restaurants which serve Filipino dishes.
In this article, you don’t have to go out of the comfort of your household just to satisfy your craving for the Lechon Kawali.
Try your experience with this crispy and delicious pork even more special by cooking one yourself! You will certainly say that it is more delicious because you’re in control of what you’re cooking and your friends and family will definitely be surprised by it.
Read on below for more trivia and some tips about the all-time favorite Lechon Kawali.
What is Lechon Kawali?
Lechon Kawali is a dish that uses pork meat made into a delicious crispy goodness by deep frying the pork in oil. It has the Tagalog term kawali which literally translates to “pan” or a “wok”–pertaining to the deep frying of the pork.
It is not to be confused with the Lechon–which is a completely different style of dish that’s made out of a whole roasted pig. The dish was invented and modified throughout the years, starting from the influence of the Spanish, with their Lechon.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Pork Belly
Pork belly or liempo would be our cut of choice for this dish. You should find one with skin and a good amount of fat. See the section below to find more notes about pork cuts.
Aromatics
Aside from our main ingredients, the flavors of this dish will rely on aromatics. We will be using garlic, onions, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorn.
If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Pork Cuts for the Best Lechon Kawali
The best cut and the most commonly preferred when making the lechon kawali is the pork belly. The combination of the meat and fat along with the skin is what makes it extra crispy and tasty.
So when picking pork belly, choose the ones with the most fats and most meat because we want the pork to be as delicious as possible. A close substitute to pork belly with be the pork shoulder.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking Pot (Kaldero)- In the first of the cooking process, you will be boiling the pork belly in water. You will need a cooking pot or a casserole deep enough to cover the pork leg. When cooking pot is the right size for deep frying the pork leg, you can use the same pot as well.
- Refrigerator- You need to refrigerate the pork belly after boiling so make sure that you have space in your fridge for this.
- Deep Fryer (Optional)- If you have an electric deep fryer at home and it fits the pork leg, go ahead and us it.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Cook Lechon Kawali
Cooking the Lechon Kawali seems to be a gruelling task if you look at it at first, but the key to mentally prepare yourself for the task is to divide it into two simple processes.
The first one you need to think about is boiling the pork belly. And then the second one you need to think about is to deep fry the pork belly. Remember that our goal is to have as delicious and crispy as possible lechon kawali.
When boiling the pork belly, keep in mind that we’re not doing it so we can eat it after. The goal is to make the pork belly tender–but not to the point where it’s so tender that it is falling off–and to maximize the flavors of the pork meat. So keep an eye on it while boiling.
Deep frying the pork belly is what makes this dish super crispy. If you followed the recipe wherein you let it chill overnight, be prepared and have a cover ready because the oil will splatter all over once you put the pork in the hot oil. This is a normal reaction of the chilled pork when suddenly transferred into hot temperatures.
Cooking Tips
- It is not required, but it is a necessary step to let the pork belly cool overnight after you boil it. This will result in a crispier pork belly, and of course, we want to have the crispiness in every bite of the lechon kawali. This is actually a similar method on how to cook Crispy Pata.
- If you want to, you can cut the pieces before deep frying. This can make the cooking time faster and you’re sure that the insides are evenly cooked. Just cut them as how you would when you’re about to serve it.
- Make sure that you have enough oil to completely submerge the pork belly, so feel free to add more if you feel like it’s lacking in oil. But if that’s not possible, be sure to turn the pork belly to cook every side of it evenly.
- Dry the pork belly before deep frying to minimize splatters.
- To be safe from splatters, make sure you use the right size of pot and use a splatter guard if you have one.
How to Serve Lechon Kawali
Before serving, slice the pork belly crosswise, about 2 inches thick. It is best served freshly cooked since the crispy skin tends to get soggy over time. In is normally eaten with freshly cooked white rice during lunch or dinner. You can pair this with soup or with a side dish like atsara or pickles.
Dips You Can Try
It can be optional, but for me, dips are essential to this dish. Here are some popular dips you can pair with lechon kawali
- Mang Tomas- This is a Filipino brand of an all-purpose sauce usually used for lechon or fried dishes. This is the most common dip used for lechon kawali.
- Lechon sauces- aside from Mang Tomas, you’ll also find other types of lechon sauces available in the market or you can also come up with your own.
- Soy sauce- Vinegar dip- another popular dip is a combination of soy sauce and vinegar, you can find our recipe for this dip in our crispy pata article.
- Spiced vinegar- There are several types of spiced vinegar here in the Philippines that goes well with this dish. Try sinamak, pinakurat, and paombong to mention a few.
Do you use a dip that’s not on the list? Let us know in the comments below!
How to Store and Reheat Lechon Kawali
In case you have leftovers, transfer to a clean food container with lid. You can refrigerate this for up to 3 days.
The best way to reheat this and somehow restore the crispy skin is to use a conventional oven. Preheat the oven to 205 C or 400 F the heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
Other Pork Recipes
- Tender Inihaw Na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly) Recipe
- Pork Sisig Recipe
- Pork Sinigang (Sinigang Na Baboy) Recipe
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Lechon Kawali Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pot/ Deep Frying Pan
- Refrigerator
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork belly
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp peppercorn
- 3 pcs bay leaves (laurel leaves)
- salt, for seasoning, to taste
- 5 cups water, for boiling
- 4 cups cooking oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a large cooking pot, pour-in water and bring to a boil in medium heat.
- Add-in the pork belly, crushed garlic, salt, peppercorn, and bay leaves. Simmer for 50 to 80 minutes or until tender but still intact.
- Drain the liquid from the pot, leaving the pork belly. Then transfer to a rack and allow to dry. You can use paper towels to dry the pork belly faster.
- Store the pork belly in the refrigerator. Let it cool for at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Season the pork belly with salt all over.
- In a large cooking pot, pour-in and heat the oil in medium to high heat.
- Add-in the pork belly. Cover the pot until splatter subsides a little. Deep-fry while sprinkling the pork belly with ice-cold water from time to time (to let it crackle) for 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy.
- Transfer the pork belly onto a rack. Dry with paper towels.
- Transfer into a serving plate or serving tray and cut into 2-inch pieces. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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