Lechon Kawali
Get this recipe now for this all-time Filipino favorite dish, Lechon Kawali! Deliciously crunchy in every bite! 
Lechon Kawali is a well-loved pork dish all over the country. Pork belly is boiled and then later deep-fried making the exterior crisp and crunchy while leaving the inside tender and juicy.
I will also share a secret on how to get that pork skin crackling. I will never tire of eating Lechon Kawali and I will probably do so, if only it is as healthy as it tastes (really) good. But indulging once in a while should be fine.
Speaking of which, Lechon Kawali is one of the first Filipino dishes I have indulged in since we arrived the Philippines about two weeks ago. Yes, we are finally here! For those who don’t know, Armin and I decided to leave Germany and move to the Philippines. I will write more about it in our next monthly income report. For now, I would just like to apologize if I was not able to answer your comments and questions as fast as I could. We were so busy with moving in and filling the house with at least the bare necessities and all and I was only able to work on my computer until a couple of days ago (I am not a laptop person)!
We were also not able yet to draw a winner for our September Giveaway…but hopefully, we will back to the old routine soon! Good thing I was able to make and schedule some new articles for the last weeks and one or two more recipes with pictures prepared while we were still in Germany, including this recipe for Lechon Kawali, that way you will not miss us too much…????.
Anyways, going back to this delicious dish of Lechon Kawali, if you want to get that crispy crackling pig skin when deep-fried, you’ve got to air dry your pork first after boiling it. You do this by draining the excess water and then putting the slab of pork belly in the fridge for some hours or overnight.
Lechon Kawali
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork belly
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 teaspoons peppercorn (whole)
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 5 cloves garlic - crushed
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2-3 cups oil - for frying
Instructions
- In a pot, combine pork belly, salt, peppercorn, bay leaves, soy sauce, garlic, and water. Bring to boil. Let it cook until meat is fork-tender.
- Remove the pork belly from water and let the excess water completely drain. Transfer to a plate and then rub 1 tablespoon of salt all over the meat. Put in the fridge overnight to dry out.
- Cut in frying size, about 3/4 inch thick. Heat oil in a wok or pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry each side of a cut for 5 minutes while sprinkling the skin with ice-cold water and letting it crackle from time to time.
- Remove from hot oil and cut into bite sizes. Serve while still hot!
Hi Bebs,
Do you have a recipe for Chicharon? I’m guessing it will be a lot like this one. Thanks!
Hi Jessica, I do not have a chicharon recipe! But as far as I know, after air-drying them in the fridge you still have to either bake them under the heat of the sun or in an oven before you deep fry them.
I love Lechon kawali but i’m so afraid to cook it. Tried once and it took me hours, because i turn off the fire once in a while everytime i turn the meat. 😉 just to be safe from oil splatter.
thanks for sharing nakakagutom 🙂 . Natry ko n po Yung sprite/7up SA marinade at masarap Lalo n pag overnight.
This is so good. I Lechon Kawali in my blog too, and I cannot get enough of it. I wish it’s healthy so that I can have it everyday. Also, you guys moved back to the Philippines? That is a brave decision to make. Good luck!
Wow! What a surprise to know that you moved to Philippines… for good?
Anyway, I like to try this but I was thinking how to do exactly sprinkling water while frying? The oil probably would be splashing…. hehehe a little afraid of it….
Hi Jueven, yup we are here and hopefully for good! I know exactly what you mean by being a little afraid of the oil splatters…me too! Just be careful and keep some distance and it should be fine.