Pinakbet with Lechon Kawali
In a perfect mix of health and indulgence, this Ilocos-inspired dish uses easy-to-source vegetables and crispy, flavorful lechon pork to complement.
Ingredients
Pinakbet - Preparation
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Water 600 ml
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Garlic 10 g
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Red Onions 60 g
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Tomato, orange/red (raw) 20 g
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Ginger 10 g
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Bagoong Balayan 10 ml
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Brown Sugar 5 g
Pinakbet - Vegetable Cooking
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Pumpkin 140 g
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Ampalaya 120 g
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Okra 120 g
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Eggplant 120 g
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Tomato, orange/red (raw) 60 g
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Sitaw 120 g
Lechon Kawali - Preparation
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Pork Belly Slab; important that it has nice fat to meat ratio and Skin 1000 g
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Water 2000 ml
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Fish Sauce 45 ml
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Rock Salt 15 g
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Bay Leaf 2 g
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White Onion 40 g
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Black Peppercorns, crushed 2 g
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Used Oil (optional) 60 ml
Lechon Kawali - Frying
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Vegetable Oil 1000 ml
Preparation
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Pinakbet - Preparation
- Bring water to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients in the pot and mix well. Bring to a boil again to build flavor.
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Pinakbet - Vegetable Cooking
- Add now the Pumpkin and cook for 1 min.
- Add the rest of the vegetables and mix well.
- Lower the heat to medium then cover for 10-15 min and simmer or until all the vegetables are cook and still crunchy, but not over cook.
- To finish, you may also add Malungay Leaves and some Kangkong stems as options. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve w/ Lechon Kawali (See recipe below) on top of the dish.
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Lechon Kawali - Preparation
- Rinse and clean well the pork belly under running water. If its bone-in, try to make some incissions in-between the bones.
- Place everything in the pressure cooker, cover w/ the lid and secure by locking.
- Bring to a boil and when it whistles, lower the heat just to maintain the whistle and continue cooking for 30-45 min. or until the meat is very tender.
- As soon as you let the steam release, you may now open the lid carefully. Let it cool down together w/ the stock to absorb more of the flavor. Remove the meat from the stock and place in a rack.
- If you have a jacard, you may poke the pork skin several times (optional).
- Let it dry in room temp at least half a day then place inside the chiller uncovered to continue the drying.
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Lechon Kawali - Frying
- Remove the Pork belly slab from the chiller and let it rest for 5-10 min. in ambient temp. Meanwhile, Pour oil in the deep frying pot (do not go more that 1/2 of the pot to avoid over flowing during frying) and heat the oil until it reaches 120-130ᵒC or in low to medium heat. Blanch Fry the Pork Slabs for 10 - 15 minutes. Make sure that it is completly submerge in the hot fat and forms small and tiny blisters but not crispy. Remove the fried pork from the oil and drain well. Place in a rack, skin side-up then set aside to cool down properly. Clean the oil in the pot by straining impurities of fallen meats.
- In the same frying pot of oil, apply high heat until your temperature reaches 180-220ᵒC (You can already see a smoke from your pot of oil), and submerge your Pork Belly slabs. Cook for 2 to 3 min. only to avoid bitter taste and dark black color. If done right, big and small blisters through out the belly skins is the result. Rest for 5-10 minutes before carving to achieve maximum crispiness.
