MANILA, Philippines — Lechon Kawali na, Binagoongang Baboy pa! This dish doubles the fun and doubles the deliciousness by combining two all-time favorite Filipino comfort foods into one.
I got to "discover" this dish at Sérye Restaurant & Café a few years ago, during a food crawl sponsored by Zomato and Citibank Card. Food Run was an exhilarating restaurant hopping activity that took us to five dining destinations all over Metro Manila, one of which was Serye.
Serye’s Alvin Lim was kind enough to share this recipe:
Binagoongang Lechon Kawali
INGREDIENTS:
For the Binagoongang Lechon Kawali:
650 grams pork liempo, deboned
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tbsps. rock salt
1 pc. medium-sized red onion, sliced
Enough water for braising the pork
Oil for deep-frying
PROCEDURE:
1. In a pan, put pork liempo, peppercorns, rock salt and sliced onion. Add water to cover. Simmer until tender.
2. While tenderizing the pork liempo, prepare the bagoong sauce and vegetable sidings.
3. When pork is ready, remove it from the boiling liquid and let cool until meat is dry. Set aside the water used to boil the pork for later use.
4. Cut the liempo into half-inch slices for easier frying. The small cuts will also ensure a crispier result.
5. Heat oil in wok and fry liempo until crispy. Remove and drain off excess oil.
6. Add the Binagoongan sauce and sauté with the liempo until pork is well coated with the Bagoong sauce.
7. Transfer to a serving dish and serve alongside sautéed vegetable siding.
For the Bagoong sauce:
2 tbsps. cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pc. medium-sized red onion, sliced
2-5 pcs. medium-sized tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup raw Bagoong (shrimp paste)
1/2 tsp. atchuete oil (annatto oil)
2 Tbsps. sukang Paombong (vinegar)
4 tsps. refined sugar
pinch of ground black pepper
1 pc. finger chili
1/2 cup pork stock (liquid used in boiling liempo)
1/2 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp. water (optional)
PROCEDURE:
1. Heat oil in pan. Sauté garlic until light brown. Add the sliced onion and sauté until onions are translucent.
2. Add the sliced tomatoes and sauté until wilted.
3. Mix in the Bagoong and cook, stirring constantly, until its raw smell is gone.
4. Pour in the vinegar and atchuete oil, and add sugar, ground black pepper and finger chili. Pour in the stock and let boil.
5. Lower the heat and simmer the mixture until the sauce thickens and the vinegar is cooked. To thicken the sauce further, use cornstarch dissolved in water. Set aside.
For the sautéed vegetable siding:
3 tbsps. cooking oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 pc. medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup squash, sliced
1 cup stringbeans
1 cup eggplants, sliced diagonally
1 cup okra, sliced diagonally
1-1/3 tbsps. Patis (fish sauce)
1-1/3 cups pork stock (liquid used in boiling liempo)
PROCEDURE:
1. Heat oil and sauté the garlic until very light brown. Add the sliced onion and sauté until onions are translucent.
2. Mix in the vegetables and season with patis.
3. Pour in the stock and boil until the vegetables are cooked.
4. Serve alongside the Binagoongang Lechon Kawali.
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