Lechon Kawali

Ingredients:

2 pounds Pork Belly, whole slab •6-8 cups Water
2 medium onions, cubed
3 tablespoons Salt
1 teaspoon Peppercorns
Cooking oil for frying

For seasoning the meat before deep-frying:

1 tablespoon Salt
1/2 tablespoon Ground White Pepper

Cooking Procedure:

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, boil the pork belly with the water. Spoon out the grayish meat protein that floats on the water and discard.
2. Turn the heat down, add the onions, salt and peppercorns and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the pork is tender.
3. Scoop out the pork and pat it dry with paper towel before deep-frying. (Or you can wrap it and freeze for frying at a later time).
4. Heat up the oil on your deep-fryer. The temperature setting should be 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep-fry for 15-20 minutes or until the skin is nice and crisp.
5. Serve with rice and Lechon Sauce.


Tips:

•If your cooking pot is not big enough, you can cut the slab of belly into about 3 inch cubes, Don't cut any smaller because the lean part of the meat gets cooked faster than the skin, making it dry and a little tough.
•Ever had a Lechon Kawali that's bland and the meat inside still smell and taste like raw meat?
I believe that secret to a good Lechon Kawali is in the flavor that you put into the broth while you are simmering the meat. I like a lot of onions to cut the raw, fresh taste, and I sometimes add garlic, too.
•For seasoning the pork before deep-frying, you can use Garlic Salt or even the Goya Brand Adobo Seasoning, which is a mixture of garlic, oregano and different seasonings.
•Safety in the kitchen should always be your number one concern and deep-frying can be pretty dangerous so take the necessary precautions.
◦The frying pot should not have more than half full of oil. Spill-over oil can cause fire.
◦Remember that water on oil can cause splatter - thus, a frozen pork belly placed on heated oil can splatter a lot. So, have a heavy pot lid and a long pair of tongs handy. Also if you can work with oven mitts covering your hands while frying, that can help you from getting oil splatter burns on your hands... and please, be very careful.