In the province of Ilokos, Bagnet dish is very popular. Bagnet is what they call the “Chicharon” of the Ilokano who resembles the “Lechon Kawali” of the Tagalogs. It is also one of the top favorites of Filipinos.Bagnet is made of pork belly or liempo because it is meaty and fat. Bagnet is delicious especially if it’s super crispy. When cooking it you need to boil your liempo and put seasoning such as garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, and salt so that the pork can absorb its flavor and then you can fry it. In the case of frying it requires a little careful since the Bagnet recipe is not a simply because of the fat that belong with this it can spatter the oil, so if you are cooking it it should be covered to prevent oil expulsion. It can also be combined with other dishes such as Pinakbet.
Ingredients:
1.5 kl. whole pork belly or liempo
1 pc. medium red onion
1 tbsp. whole black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
6 pcs. cloves crushed garlic
4 to 6 cups water
3 cups cooking oil
Procedure:
1. Arrange the pork belly or liempo in a wide position while placing it in the cooking pot. Put it in a water, the pork belly should be submerged in water. Let it simmer.
2. When the pork belly starts to boil, add the onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt and whole black pepper. Simmer it on for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Remove the boiled pork belly from the cooking pot and transfer it to a plate. Let to cool down there.
4. Rub the remaining 1/2 tablespoon salt in the pork belly. Let it soak for 10-20 minutes.
5. Put the cooking oil in a deep cooking pot and heat it. When its hot put the pork belly gently and fry it with a medium heat wait for it to turn golden brown and the texture of the pork belly to be crisp. Keep in mind that the oil will splatter while you fried it so that you need to be careful with this process. Use a splatter guard and place it on top of the cooking pot to control the oil spill.
6. Once the pork belly is cooked, remove it from the cooking pot and place on a plate with a paper towel so it can absorb the oil. Turn off the stove and let the pork belly cool.
7. When the pork belly is cooled, heat the oil again and fry the pork belly a second time until it gets extra crispy. In 5 to 10 minutes remove it and place it back on a plate with paper towel. Let the paper towel absorb its excess oils.
8. Slice the pork bagnet into serving pieces. You can serve it with the Bagoong Balayan which is squeeze with calamansi for a tasty taste, or you can also have a delicious vinegar with chili.
9. Eat, share and enjoy !!