The Pork Bagnet is the Ilocano version of lechon kawali. Cook the slab of pork twice and chop it into cubes, then deep fry the pork for a few minutes more till the skin is blistered, crisp and crackling. Serve with a side sauce of either the following—a) sweet lechon sauce or b) savory bagoong balayan (fish and shrimp paste) sprinkled with calamansi or lime -- this was the Ilocano way of my late father-in-law. Lechon Kawali is good served with a side of 'achara' sweet-savory papaya pickles. This is an Asian In America recipe adapted from a previous blog post. Serves 2 to 4 as an entree.

Pork Bagnet (Photo by Elizabeth Ann Quirino)

Ingredients

• pork belly (liempo in the Philippines) whole slab - 2 pounds
• sea salt - 1 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
• vegetable or corn oil - 1/2 cup
• achara or sweet green papaya pickles - for serving (recipe on previous blog post)
• lechon sauce - for serving (bottled is found in Asian markets or online sources)
• boiled rice - for serving

Procedure

• Place whole slab of pork belly in a deep stockpot. Fill with enough water to cover the pork. Add salt and black pepper to the meat and liquid. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When the liquid boils, lower heat to a simmer. Cook this amount of 2 lbs. for one hour till pork is tender at the sides and no more pink parts are visible.

• When boiled pork is cooked, drain the liquid. Transfer the pork to an oven roasting pan which has a wire rack. Place the pork on the rack. Roast in the oven at 250 F for two hours (for 2 lbs. of pork belly). The pork should be slightly brown at the end of cooking.

• Transfer cooked pork slab on a flat tray and allow to air dry for 1 to 2 hours.

• To cook crisp pork pieces of lechon kawali: over medium high heat, add oil in a large skillet. Oil should be hot enough in about 3 to 4 minutes. If taking the temperature with a thermometer, oil should be about 350F. Chop the pork pieces into 2-inch square cubes. Deep fry in the oil till the pork skin looks golden brown and has blisters. Cook the pieces for about 8 minutes till crisp.

• Serve while the pork belly pieces or lechon kawali are piping hot and crispy with a side of "lechon sauce" (bottled or homemade). Serve with rice and homemade 'achara' (green papaya pickles).