How to Cook Lechon Paksiw Recipe with Mang Tomas
Discover how to cook the beloved Lechon leftover into something just as unique through this lechon paksiw recipe with a complete list of Lechon paksiw ingredients, including the famous all-purpose sauce, Mang Tomas.
During the holidays, food would always be the one thing we Filipinos go overboard most of the time. A typical Noche Buena table always almost groans with the weight of various meats. It also includes sides and sweets piled.
For Filipinos, the Christmas holiday is just another excuse to enjoy lechon. Filipinos enjoy other foods during the holidays, including maja blanca, chicken empanada, baked macaroni, fruit cake, and Leche Flan.
Despite the Filipinos hefty appetite and a large crowd that partakes in the feast, it’s just too much to eat a whole roasted pig in one sitting.
Plenty of leftover scraps or even pieces of the crisp of the delicious spit-roasted pig will be left after the feast. Fortunately, you can turn these leftovers into something mouthwatering via this lechon paksiw recipe.
How to Cook Lechon Paksiw with Mang Tomas
Let’s start off with the basics of how to make lechon paksiw.
Lechon puts every Filipino Christmas mood on. However, it can be excessive to consume a whole roasted pig in one night. If that’s the case, what will you do if you have some leftover lechon?
This lechon paksiw recipe will show you how.
Filipinos love lechon. Oftentimes, the dish highlights any feast or any special occasion. Whenever there’s leftover lechon, the best way to repurpose and cook it is to turn it into delectable lechon paksiw.
Paksiw is a type of dish. This dish includes vinegar and garlic. A Filipino pork dish made from the leftover roast pig is called lechon paksiw. Other than using leftovers from a roast pig, leftover lechon kawali can also be used in making this dish.
This Pinoy ulam makes it a practical way to recycle leftover pork. Making paksiw out of leftover pork makes the pork more flavorful. It also brings more life to the ingredient, instead of reheating the same dish over.
The lechon sauce used will always be the factor behind delicious lechon. The sauce serves as one of the main sources of the dish’s flavor. So, making sure you have a great sauce increases your success rate in creating delicious lechon paksiw. Or you can always buy the famous Mang Tomas All-Purpose Sauce as a substitute for your lechon sauce.
Lechon itself refers to a spit-roasted pig. It’s a whole pig that’s prepared and skewered in a spit or a long bamboo rod. The whole page will be then roasted over charcoal.
On the other hand, lechon kawali refers to a crispy pork belly dish. It features a strip of boiled pork belly. It is deep-fried until super crispy.
Leftover Meat Used
Most of the scraps of meat used in lechon paksiw are from leftover lechon or lechon kawali.
The leftovers of the two dishes are most commonly used in preparing lechon paksiw. When making lechon paksiw, the pork gets sauteed in onion and garlic― two crucial lechon paksiw ingredients― first.
Next, cook the lechon paksiw ingredients together with liver sauce. You can also use the sauce of lechon for this dish. You can also use commercial lechon sauce like Mang Tomas. However, if you prefer a bit of personal touch, you can make your own lechon sauce.
The best way to eat Lechon paksiw is with rice. This dish can last for more than a week. As long as you keep it inside the refrigerator, lechon paksiw can last long due to the vinegar it contains.
Origin of Lechon Paksiw
Paksiw is undeniably one of the dishes that the Filipino people are known of. This dish can be cooked using either pork or fish as the main ingredient.
With pork as the main ingredient, Filipinos usually use leftovers of roasted pork. Given this, a lot of Filipinos save some roasted pork to cook this dish.
This Filipino dish consists of leftover roasted pork is cooked by stewing. Lechon refers to another Filipino pork dish involving a whole pig. This dish gets cooked by roasting the whole pig over a fire.
On the other hand, paksiw refers to a type of cooking method. It involves protein being simmered in vinegar. Paksiw is a great way to make use of any leftover meat. It also brings out the flavor of the pork even more.
By cooking this dish, you can bring out a variety of flavors. However, it heavily depends on the sauce and other lechon paksiw ingredients you use.
No specific origins were recorded for the lechon paksiw dish. However, there’s a story behind the meat used in the dish― lechon.
The word lechon is derived from the Spanish word leche. Leche translates to milk. The dish involves cooking a milk-fed pig being roasted. Hence, the name leche.
However, in the Philippines, the dish involves a whole roasted adult pig. The dish gets cooked by slowly rotating it over an open charcoal grill. This process produces the crisp skin and tender meat.
This process long existed in the country. However, the Spaniards coined the term lechon to identify this dish.
The first thing people consume off a lechon is its crispy crackling skin. Unfortunately, in most cases, the crispy crackling skin will be pretty much all that’s eaten off the pig.
The leftover meat will then be carved up. It will be placed into plastic containers. These will then be divided amongst relatives to take it home. This brings most Filipinos to think of what to do with the leftover lechon.
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Serving Lechon Paksiw
The most popular way of serving leftover lechon in the Philippines is by serving it as a stew or paksiw. The meat then gets served in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and lechon sauce. Some even cook it with liver sauce to make it extra special.
Pretty much like the Southeast Asian version of pulled pork, the dish tastes sweet and delectable. Additionally, this dish goes down with rice.
The technique for the dish works best with the milder-flavored Luzon-style lechon. However, Waray lechon also works well with the dish.
On the other hand, in Central Luzon, some innovative housewives mince up all the leftover pork and crackling. They then toss it with vinegar, onions, and chilies to make a shortcut sisig. The dish will then be served on smoking-hot cast-iron platters.
Moreover, some people prefer to shred leftover lechon. They will then cook. Once cooked, they will stuff it into cha siu bao or siopao.
Other people also cook the dish with fresh green vegetables. The dish’s smoky taste, as well as the umami richness of the pork, balances the acidic taste of the soup. With its herbaceous and spicy flavor notes, Visayan lechon work best for this dish.
Lechon Paksiw Ingredients
- Leftover lechon
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Spices
- Lechon sauce (Mang Tomas All-Purpose Sauce)
- Broth
Lechon paksiw features a balance and consistency of the sweet and sour flavor. Here are common lechon paksiw ingredients you must take note of:
Leftover Lechon
You can use store-bought, leftover lechon belly, or homemade lechon kawali.
Soy Sauce
You can use regular Filipino or Chinese soy sauce.
Vinegar
There’s a variety of options for vinegar. You can interchangeably use distilled vinegar, white wine vinegar, coconut vinegar, or even rice vinegar.
Brown Sugar
You can use muscovado sugar. Dark brown sugar will also work.
Spices
The most common spices used include garlic, bay leaf, and whole black peppercorns.
Lechon Sauce
You can cook your lechon paksiw using store-bought lechon sauce, Mang Tomas All-Purpose Sauce. However, if you prefer a bit of personal touch, you can use homemade sauce.
Broth
Any type of meat broth should work or dissolve when used in the dish.
How to Make Your Lechon Paksiw Recipe Special
Whether the leftover meat came from a roasted pig or lechon kawali, lechon will not be appetizing when it’s already a day old in the refrigerator.
Do you want to add a kick and make your lechon paksiw even more special? You’re in the right place.
Make the dish special using the following lechon paksiw ingredients:
Lemongrass
You can add this ingredient towards the end of the cooking process. The lemongrass gives the lechon paksiw a lovely aroma.
You must add lemongrass if you’re using leftover meat from Lechon kawali. It’s because meat from Lechon kawali lacks that roasted pork flavor that you only get from a roasted Lechon.
Liver Spread
You can use bottled lechon sauce like Mang Tomas. Often, the liver spread isn’t included as one of the lechon paksiw ingredients.
But to make your dish extra special, you must add two to three tablespoons of the liver spread to it. If you don’t have liver spread, use liver paste instead. That should make up for the missing flavor.
Lard
You can save all that grease in the pan if you made your own lechon. The lard can be used to make any paksiw dish extra special.
In addition, the lard gives the sauce a nice rich flavor. It will also make the dish shiny and more appetizing.
Lechon Paksiw Recipe
Lechon Paksiw Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. leftover of lechon or spit-roasted pig or lechon kawali
- 1 pc Yellow Onion medium-sized
- 4 cloves Garlic Crushed
- 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
- 5 pieces dried bay leaves
- 2 cups beef broth
- 11 ounces lechon sauce homemade or Mang Tomas All-Purpose Sauce
- 1 tbsp White Sugar
- 4 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- Salt amount depends on your taste
Instructions
- Heat a cooking pot.
- Pour the beef stock into it. Bring it to a boil.2 cups beef broth
- Put in the garlic and onions. Cook until the texture becomes soft.4 cloves Garlic, 1 pc Yellow Onion
- Add the whole peppercorns, dried bay leaves, and soy sauce.1 tbsp whole peppercorns, 5 pieces dried bay leaves, 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- Put in the leftover lechon meat. Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.2 lbs. leftover of lechon or spit-roasted pig or lechon kawali
- Add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 10 minutes.4 tbsp Vinegar
- Add the sugar and lechon sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes.1 tbsp White Sugar, 11 ounces lechon sauce
- Add some salt to taste. Stir to dissolve the salt.Salt
- Turn off the heat. Transfer the dish to a serving container.
- Serve it hot with rice.
Notes
Important Tip: Avoid stirring the vinegar mixture.
This ruins the vinegar’s fresh taste. Stirring the dish when it’s not yet ready may also result in your lechon paksiw tasting very tangy.How to Cook Lechon Paksiw with Mang Tomas: Cooking Tips
Use a deep pot.
The high edges of the pot allow the heat to spread evenly. With this, the liquid will not quickly evaporate. Additionally, this yields tender and moist meat, instead of a dry one.
Simmer the vinegar
This reduces the acidity of the vinegar. Include the vinegar when adding the first seven lechon paksiw ingredients to a cold pot. Turn on the heat. Let the contents simmer until fragrant.
The process should take at least 5 to 10 minutes. Avoid stirring until it’s ready.
Add the lechon sauce or Mang Tomas and liver spread towards the end of the cooking.
This allows the meat to tenderize. However, the process also prevents the sauce from becoming too thick or dry.
At this point, the sauce will quickly thicken. Leave it to simmer until it reaches your desired consistency. If you prefer a lechon paksiw that’s masarsa or extra juicy, add hot water and leave it to simmer. Add sugar and salt as needed.
Avoid stirring the vinegar mixture.
This ruins the vinegar’s fresh taste. Stirring the dish when it’s not yet ready may also result in your lechon paksiw tasting very tangy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lechon Paksiw Recipe
Lechon paksiw can last for 3 to 5 days, as long as the dish is handled and stored properly.
Paksiw is a Filipino cooking technique, used in various dishes simmered in vinegar.
Lechon paksiw can be cooked using left-over spit-roasted pork or lechon meat, Mang Tomas All-Purpose sauce, vinegar, garlic, onions, and sugar.
One serving of lechon paksiw contains 214 calories, 6 grams of total carbs, 6 grams of net carbs, 15 grams of fat, and 13 grams of protein.
Conclusion
For Filipinos, Lechon gives life to the group and party as a whole. A proper celebration for Filipinos always includes a lechon. Whether the gathering is small or large, one usually roasts an entire pig for the occasion.
But a whole Lechon usually doesn’t get eaten in one day. The best alternative? Turning it to lechon paksiw.
Do you have some leftover lechon or lechon kawali? Turn it into a mouthwatering dish using this lechon paksiw recipe now!
But wait! You can also try our Champorado Recipe, Baked Tahong With Cheese and Garlic Recipe, Bicol Express Recipe, and Chopsuey Recipe.
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