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Sheldon Simeon’s Crispy Fried Pork Belly Is Everything

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Credit: Rachel Cook - Half Acre House

There are few more perfect things than Filipino lechon kawali, or pork belly with a wonderfully crispy and browned skin. The trick is to simmer and then dehydrate the pork belly first, so that when the skin hits the hot oil, it expands and blisters into airy, crackly deliciousness, like a puff of salt and pork fat.

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Sometimes I’ll serve it with a condiment of diced tomatoes, green onions, and white onions tossed with fish sauce and vinegar (I call it “pinoy de gallo,” aka Filipino salsa), but a simple dipping sauce of chopped chiles and vinegar will also do the trick — a bit of acidity helps slice through the richness. Serve it with garlic rice or just a bowl of hot white rice.

Credit: Rachel Cook - Half Acre House

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Sheldon Simeon's Lechon Kawali (Crispy Fried Pork Belly)

Yield Serves 8 to 10

• alcohol-free
• egg-free
• dairy-free
• low-carb
• fish-free
• peanut-free
• shellfish-free
• sugar-conscious
• gluten-free
• tree-nut-free
• soy-free
• wheat-free

Per serving, based on 10 servings. (% daily value)

• Calories 925
• Fat 95.6 g (147.1%)
• Saturated 28.1 g (140.3%)
• Carbs 3.0 g (1.0%)
• Fiber 0.3 g (1.4%)
• Sugars 0.2 g
• Protein 13.1 g (26.2%)
• Sodium 403.3 mg (16.8%)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds

  skin-on pork belly

• 4 tablespoons

  Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• 4

  bay leaves

• 8 cloves

  crushed garlic

• 4 ounces

  fresh ginger, peeled and crushed

• Canola oil for frying

Instructions

1. Place the pork belly in a large enough pot for the pork belly to fit. Cover pork belly with water and season with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Bring to boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Discard the water and rinse the pork belly thoroughly.

2. In the same pot, combine the bay leaves, garlic, and ginger. Return the pork belly to the pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Flip pork belly occasionally and replenish the water as needed. Transfer pork belly to a sheet pan topped with a wire rack. Refrigerate pork belly uncovered for a minimum of 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

3. Set up a food dehydrator to 185°F or an oven on the warming setting (usually anywhere from 170 to 200°F). Cut strips into the pork belly about 3 inches apart, being careful to only cut through the skin and not the meat. Place in dehydrator and dehydrate for 4 hours. Skin should feel hard to the touch when done.

4. Prepare a wire rack or line a baking sheet with paper towels. Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with at least 3 inches of oil, making sure to leave a few inches of clearance from the top of the pot. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 400°F (use a thermometer), adjusting the heat as needed to maintain temperature.

5. Cut pork belly into strips following the cuts made into the skin prior. Fry the pork belly in batches making sure there is plenty of room for them to move in oil, until pork is golden brown and skin has become crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pork belly to the wire rack or paper towels and let cool slightly.

6. Chop pork belly into bite size pieces and serve with chili vinegar or your favorite dipping sauce.

Credit: Ryan Siphers

This recipe is part of our weeknight Hawaiian cooking guide, designed to bring the vibrant and colorful cuisine of Hawai’i into your kitchen. Head to the intro piece to read more from Sheldon, and check out all of the recipes below.

Sheldon Simeon’s Weeknight Hawaiian Guide

1 / 5

Hawaiian-Style Ahi Poke

This poke is made using ogo seaweed and ‘inamona, and takes cues from how the dish was traditionally prepared by native Hawaiians.

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2 / 5

Lechon Kawali (Crispy Fried Pork Belly)

The trick to this Filipino pork dish is simmering and then dehydrating the pork belly first, so that when the skin hits the hot oil, it expands and blisters into airy, crackly deliciousness, like a puff of salt and pork fat.

Go To The Recipe

3 / 5

Kamaboko Dip

The charm of this dip, which is similar in a way to crab salad, lies in the pops of umami provided by oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, and powdered dashi, plus a showering of chopped scallion on top.

Go To The Recipe

4 / 5

Chicken Hekka

Somewhere between a braise and a stirfry, hekka is an ideal “clean out the fridge” meal because you can use whatever vegetables and greens are on hand, along with dried cellophane noodles, shoyu, mirin, ginger, garlic, and chicken broth.

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5 / 5

Andagi (Okinawan Doughnuts)

These doughnuts are leavened with baking powder rather than yeast, so they’re more like crunchy-shelled cake donuts rather than puffy malasadas. Serve them when they're hot and fresh.

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Sheldon Simeon

Contributor

Sheldon was born in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii, and acquired his love for cooking from his family’s love of cooking and entertaining. Sheldon attended Maui Culinary Academy and worked in various restaurants on Maui before competing in seasons 10 and 14 of Bravo’s hit competition cooking show “Top Chef,” winning Fan Favorite both times. In 2016, Sheldon opened his first solo restaurant, Tin Roof, where he serves up local dishes in take-out bowls. In fall 2018, Sheldon opened Lineage, his second solo restaurant and full service concept delighting guests with traditional local Hawaii fare in Wailea, Maui. In 2019, Lineage was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for “Best New Restaurant.” In 2020, Sheldon left Lineage to focus on writing his first cookbook, Cook Real Hawai’i, which just came out in the Spring of 2021 from Clarkson Potter. Sheldon resides in Maui with his wife Janice and their four children.

Source : food