It is considered as one of the most sinful Filipino dish as it is made of whole pork leg trotters or knuckles deep fried in to perfection. it can be served as a regular viand but is commonly served during parties, particularly when beer is involved. The pork leg is made very crispy on the outside with soft and moist meat on the inside. Crispy Pata is a perfect execution on how Filipinos show love to their pork.
Due to its popularity, it is a little pricy when bought in restaurants which normally ranges from Php600-900 depending on the size and of course the restaurant where you will get it from. Having that said, that does not stop Filipinos from enjoying this utterly sinful dish by cooking it at home. Here is a simple recipe on how to cook Crispy Pata so you can also enjoy this dish right at the convenience of your home and of course have a budget friendly meal with your family.
Materials Needed for Crispy Pata:
- Boiling pot
- Strainer
- Tongs
- Frying pan/ pot
- Knife
- Wire rack
Ingredients Needed:
- 1 whole pork leg trotters
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 head garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 5pcs bay leaves
- 1 ½ table spoon pepper corns
- 1tbsp salt
3tbsp fish sauce
Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
- 5 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/8 soy sauce
- 2tbsp sugar
- 2 chili peppers, peeled and minced
- 2 red onions, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Directions:
Using the knife, scrape off all stray hairs on the pork leg, make sure that the pork is cleaned thoroughly
Put the boiling pot over medium heat, put in the pork leg, water, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, pineapple juice, bay leaves, pepper corns, salt and fish sauce. Leave for 25mins or until it boils.
Once it boils, lower the heat and let it simmer for 45mins to 1 hour or until the meat is tender, poke with a fork to measure tenderness.
Once tender, turn the heat off and let the pork leg sit on the pot for 30 minutes. After 30 mins, lift the pork from the pot and put on the strainer, letting the juice drain, set aside
Put the large frying pan/ pot over medium heat and put in 5 ½ cups of vegetable oil, let it heat for about 5 minutes then put in the pork leg for deep frying
Turn the pork as needed or until golden brown. Once golden, lift the pork leg and put in a wire rack
Dipping sauce:
In a small pot, combine all ingredients and put on low fire..
Stir slowly, turn the fire off before the mixture boils.
Chop the pork leg, place the sauce in a small bowl and serve to your loved ones.
This recipe can approximately serve 3-4 people. The cooking time is approximately 3hrs but it is definitely worth the wait.
