What exactly is lechon kawali in English? Pan fried pork belly? Iki7's recent lechon discovery in Wales seemed to hint of a larger spectre spreading across the globe -- the spectre of lechon. After hearing her news (and growing nostalgic for pork) I came home to find the Chef busy salting a very large, square slab of pork belly, bought fresh from our favorite London butcher. I've watched pigs being butchered without flinching, but seeing this pork piece made me feel a little squeamish for some reason. Laid flat, it literally looked like a carpet of flesh, barely managing to fit onto the kitchen counter. Raw and slightly pinkish, it was something that would inspire Silence of the Lambs villain Buffalo Bill into making a floor length evening gown. No matter. After a bit of preparation -- which included setting off the fire alarm and producing a porky smell that drifted to the far corners of our conservative neighborhood -- what emerged from the oven was nothing less than fiesta-quality lechon kawali: crispy skin and tender pork held together by a juicy chunk of fat. Naturally this was dipped in soy sauce and vinegar with chili.
I guess this means the neighbors are finally aware that we're Pinoy.
Read about the actual making of London lechon kawali here.
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