🥓 Lechon kawali

Name: Lechon kawali
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Philippines
Ingredients: 1 kg pork belly, skin on; 1 head garlic, half crushed, half minced; 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp salt; Oil for deep-frying; 120 ml cane or white vinegar; 1 small red chilli and 1/2 onion, finely chopped

Origin: Philippines

580kcal

per serving · 200 g

290kcal

per 100 g

40 gProtein20 g / 100 g

46 gFat23 g / 100 g

2 gCarbs1 g / 100 g

Lechon kawali is pork belly that is first boiled with garlic, salt and pepper, then dried and deep-fried until the skin blisters and turns very crisp. The meat stays juicy and rich under the crackling. It is chopped into bite-sized pieces and served with rice and a sharp vinegar dip with garlic and chilli.

Diets

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly1 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein20 g protein per 100 g — 28% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: pork belly

Not veganbecause of: pork belly

Contains porkbecause of: pork belly

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.

What it is made of

pork bellysaltblack peppergarlicvinegar dip

Recipe

4 servings90 min

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly, skin on
1 head garlic, half crushed, half minced
1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp salt
Oil for deep-frying
120 ml cane or white vinegar
1 small red chilli and 1/2 onion, finely chopped

Method

Simmer the pork with the crushed garlic, peppercorns, salt and water to cover for 45 minutes until tender.
Drain, pat dry and leave uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours so the skin dries.
Deep-fry in hot oil, using a splatter guard or lid as the skin pops, until golden and blistered, 10–15 minutes.
Mix the vinegar with the minced garlic, chilli and onion for the dip.
Rest the pork for 5 minutes, chop and serve with the dip.

How to make it lighter

Pork belly is very rich — a 100 g portion with plenty of vegetables keeps the plate reasonable.
Air-frying or oven-roasting the boiled belly at a high heat gives crisp skin with less oil.
The vinegar dip adds flavour for almost no calories — use it instead of fatty sauces.

History

The name joins lechon, roast pork, with kawali, the wok-like pan it is fried in — a home-kitchen way to get crackling without roasting a whole pig. It is a favourite in Filipino homes and eateries for family meals and celebrations.

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Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →