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LECHON KAWALI -
CRISPY FRIED PORK
BELLY
BY :B
BE B S | PUBLISHED: 0 8 / 1 6 / 2 0 1 8 |
UPDATED:0
07 / 1 1 / 2 0 1 9 | 3 4 C O M M E N T S

RECIPE PRINT

5 from 19 votes

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Learn the secret on how to make crispy

Lechon Kawali, an all-time Filipino
favorite dish of pork belly fried to a
perfect crisp! Deliciously crunchy in
every bite!

Lechon Kawali is a well-loved pork dish

all over the country and probably soon,
all over the world.

It involves boiling the pork belly slab and

then deep-fried later on, making the
exterior crisp and crunchy while leaving
the inside tender and juicy.

I can never tire of eating Lechon Kawali

and I could probably do so every day, if
only it is as healthy as it tastes
(really) good. But indulging once in a
while should be fine.

In this post, I will also share a secret on

how to get that pork skin crackling to a
perfect crisp.

But first, here are some tips on how to

choose your pork for Lechon Kawali.

[hide
hide]
what is the best pork cut for
Lechon Kawali?
how to make crispy fried pork
(Lechon Kawali)?
Printable Recipe
Lechon Kawali

WHAT IS THE BEST

PORK CUT FOR LECHON
KAWALI?

The cut that is used for making Lechon

Kawali would be the 'Liempo' or the pork
belly. The interchanging layers of meat
and fat make it one of the tastiest part of
the pork.

Choose a slab of pork belly with equal

parts of fats and meat with good
alternating layers.

Too much (lean) meat will give you dry,

hard and chewy texture so do not get a
thick slab. Choose a pork belly slab that
is not more than 1 ½ inch thick.

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY

FRIED PORK (LECHON
KAWALI)?

If you want to get that crispy crackling

pig skin when deep-fried, then just
follow this tips:

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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.

After the pork belly is air-dried and ready

to cook, cut it into desired frying pieces. I
find that cutting them into squares the
size of an inch is the most ideal size. This
makes all sides golden and crispy while
the interior remains moist and juicy. This
also reduces the cooking time.

Make sure that the oil is hot and try to

keep it that way all throughout while
frying the pork pieces. Do not fry frozen
pork as it will cook unevenly and will
affect the oil temperature. Do not crowd
the pot or pan while frying, fry them in
small batches and they will cook faster
and more even.

While frying,
you have to
sprinkle a bit
of cold water
from time to
time to
induce the
crackling of
the pork skin. Just be careful of the
splatters and I would suggest to cover up
your hand and arms (and face) if
possible or get a splatter screen like this
one.

Learn More

Lechon Kawali is usually served with

spicy vinegar or a special liver-based
Lechon sauce but my favorite dip is a
mixture of soy sauce and vinegar with
lots of chopped onions and a red hot chili
with some fresh ground black pepper.
Another serving of rice? Yes, please!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Lechon Kawali

5 FROM 19 VOTES

Get this recipe now for this all-

time Filipino favorite dish, Lechon
Kawali, pork belly chunks fried to
perfection! Deliciously crunchy in
every bite!
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 1 hr Course :Main Course
Servings =5

PRINT RATE THIS

RECIPE RECIPE

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LEARN MORE

INGREDIENTS 1x 2x 3x

US Customary Metric
2 pounds pork belly
3 tablespoons salt - for boiling
2 teaspoons peppercorn
(whole)
5 bay leaves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
5 cloves garlic - crushed
4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt - for rubbing
2-3 cups oil - for frying

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INSTRUCTIONS

1 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.
2 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.
3 Cut in cubes, about an 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.

4 Remove from hot oil and

transfer into a plate lined with
kitchen paper towel to remove
excess oil. Serve while still hot
with your fave dipping sauce!

NUTRITION
CALORIES: 1030KCAL
CARBOHYDRATES: 2G
PROTEIN: 17G
FAT: 105G
SATURATED FAT: 35G
CHOLESTEROL: 130MG
SODIUM: 4455MG
POTASSIUM: 378MG
FIBER: 0G
SUGAR: 0G
VITAMIN A: 20IU
VITAMIN C: 1.5MG
CALCIUM: 28MG
IRON: 1.3MG

Have you tried this

recipe?
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COMMENTS
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Glen B says
July 02, 2023 at 5:56 am

Amazing recipe, thanks for posting!

For amateurs like myself, below are the

cooking specs I used.

• Boil pork belly (from costco) for about

an hour
• 350 degree F setting on the fryer
• Fry each batch for 10 mins, I like it
crispy

Reply

Bebs says
July 08, 2023 at 2:26 pm

Thank you, Glen for sharing this!

Reply

Sandra says
January 22, 2023 at 10:02 am

Followed your recipe 100%. What a

fantastic game day appetizer. Loved it,
there will never be enough for my family!
Thank you!

Reply

jessieboy says
July 01, 2021 at 9:28 pm

very unique nice recipe you shared

thanks you

Reply

Bebs says
July 04, 2021 at 1:12 am

You are welcome, Jessie.

Reply

Nicholas Aguirre says

June 13, 2021 at 4:22 am

Can you a deep fryer and if so what

temp should it be set at?

Reply

Dahl says
June 01, 2021 at 4:00 am

Love it!

Reply

Bebs says
June 02, 2021 at 2:07 pm

Thank you!

Reply

MConte says
December 30, 2020 at 7:58 pm

Hi! Curious if this can be done in an Air

Fryer?

Reply

Bebs says
May 14, 2021 at 12:19 am

Sure you can, MConte.

Reply

Chris says
October 26, 2020 at 4:57 pm

Hi, Why do you need to sprinkle the ice

water? Throughout the frying process in
estimation how many times do you
sprinkle it? Thanks!

Reply

Bebs says
October 26, 2020 at 11:48 pm

This is done to induce the crackling. I

do it about 3 to 4 times.

Reply

Milette says
October 06, 2020 at 4:38 pm

I will try this lechon Kawali tomorrow it

looks real good. Thanks for sharing

Reply

Paul says
September 25, 2020 at 7:09 am

Correct me if wrong... but does not the

skin need to be pierced with shallow holes
after boiling and drying, allowing it to get
crispy?

Reply

Bebs says
November 23, 2020 at 3:43 pm

You can do that before boiling if you

like but since the skin protein is
already denatured from boiling it for a
long time, so no need really. If you do
it after it might just break the skin.

Reply

Phillip Holguin says

August 09, 2020 at 1:17 am

So I just purchased 5lbs of a pork belly

slab. It is frozen. How do I prepare this
from the frozen state for tonight?

Reply

Lauren says
July 16, 2020 at 7:19 am

When you say boil until fork tender, can

you tell me approximately how long?

Reply

Bebs says
July 17, 2020 at 10:41 am

Hi Lauren, it really varies depending

on the meat you have but since it is
the belly part which is normally a
more tender cut, about 30-50
minutes.

Reply

Dan says
August 03, 2020 at 5:47 am

The answer you want is...

Till you can effortlessly stab the

through the protein with a fork

Reply

Carol says
April 11, 2020 at 10:56 pm

My dutch husband loved it, of course he

dipped it with mustard ! I cooked half
portion after 2 hours in a fridge on a
medium heat just to try and it taste sooo
good! I didn't put cold water into the pan
because I can hear it crackling all over.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Reply

Bebs says
April 12, 2020 at 1:45 pm

Hi carol, so nice to hear that your

Dutch hubby is loving our local food.
Armin loves this too..

Reply

Cenon Bernardo says

November 17, 2019 at 12:22 am

The part where you say sprinkle with ice

cold water while deep frying, scary part
sis, you've got to be specific with that
procedure

Reply

Bebs says
November 17, 2019 at 6:08 pm

It is a little scary. What I do is use a

teaspoon to drizzle the cold water to
the meat. I do it fast though and go
out of the way after...

Reply

Deon says
December 23, 2019 at 7:26 am

Like do you take the pork out of

the deep fryer for that one sec
and pour the cold water directly to
the pork or you just grab a spoon
of water and pour it in the oill?

Reply

Bebs says
January 02, 2020 at 3:58 pm

You drizzle it directly to the hot

pan. Use a tall pot if you have
one so it will protect you from
the splatters.

Reply

Danni says
November 06, 2019 at 3:21 pm

Hi, I was wondering, could I freeze the

pork after the boiling part? I would like to
boil up some batches of it and then thaw
& fry it on the day I wish to eat it? Trying
to do some of the prep work
beforehand?

Reply

Bebs says
November 06, 2019 at 7:23 pm

I am pretty sure you can Danni, just

remember to allow time to thaw and
also to let the meat air dry in the
fridge to get crispy skin.

Reply

Jessica says
January 06, 2018 at 1:25 am

Hi Bebs,

Do you have a recipe for Chicharon? I’m

guessing it will be a lot like this one.
Thanks!

Reply

Bebs says
January 06, 2018 at 12:38 pm

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.

Reply

Sarah Jane Nieto says

November 06, 2017 at 2:48 am

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.

Reply

DineInTune says
November 05, 2017 at 10:41 am

thanks for sharing nakakagutom .

Natry ko n po Yung sprite/7up SA
marinade at masarap Lalo n pag
overnight.

Reply

shobee says
October 24, 2017 at 8:51 pm

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!

Reply

Jueven says
October 22, 2017 at 9:17 am

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....

Reply

Bebs says
October 23, 2017 at 3:21 pm

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.

Reply

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