Lechon kawali with a new twist
November 26, 2007
Filed under Asia & beyond, Mighty meaty
When I posted a recipe for a dish that I called lechon kawali stew over three years ago, someone told me that its traditional name was lechon macau. Whether the name connotes the geographic origin of a similar dish, I really do not know. The dish I cooked was just something to make use of leftover lechon kawali. I was planning on cooking the same dish for lunch today when the bottle of Pad Thai sauce in the fridge caught my eye. What do you know? It went perfectly with the lechon kawali.
Of course, Pad Thai sauce is basically a sweet and sour sauce which should explain why, when mixed with lechon kawali, the dish that resulted was very similar to my lechon kawali stew. But there were marked differences though. Because the souring agent in the Pad Thai sauce is tamarind and not vinegar, the sauce was smoother — none of the throat irritating quality that raw vinegar often gives.
Second, the color was just wonderful. Whereas my lechon kawali stew was dark brown because of the soy sauce, the dish that I cooked for lunch earlier was lighter in color which really had a very pleasing effect. I mean, you can compare. Look at the photo above and compare it with the old lechon kawali stew.
How do you make this dish? You peel and crush half a head of garlic and finely slice a large onion. You heat about 3 tablespoonfuls of peanut oil and saute the garlic and onion. You add the chopped lechon kawali (it doesn’t matter if it is newly cooked or had spent overnight inside the fridge) and cook until heated through. Then, you pour in as much Pad Thai sauce as you want (my kids like lots of sauce that they can pour over their rice), add about a tablespoonful of chili sauce and bring everything to the boil. You turn off the heat, transfer everything to a serving platter and sprinkle some chopped onion leaves before serving. Then, you enjoy the fruits of your labor. 
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wow, this is such an idea. Thanks so much for posting this. This last weekend, I bought a can of pure tamarind paste, tried 2 tsp of it on sinigang na ulo ng bangos (2 pcs), added kangkong (that’s the only veggies I had), thought it was sour but its not. I wonder if I can use this paste with this dish, and add some sweet chili paste? Ummm…. gotta have some lechon kawali thought.. duh!
Hi Connie: i was reading your “Heart & Soul of Fil. Food”, and i was mildly amused by those readers who criticized your cooking when you improvised or changed the traditional recipe. Guess what? just be glad you are not part of that lot. the same people who will criticize you are the same people you will have nothing in common with, so you can happily “weed” them out to your satisfaction.
**i have cooked chicken adobo, browning the meat FIRST after marinating, and then, deglazing the brown, delicious bits on the pan with—SHERRY! (and guess what, it tasted awesome!).
Ebba, great excuse for having lechon kawali, ‘no?
Les, you know, although I know that there will always be closed-minded people, it still never cease to amaze me at the depths of closed-mindedness of some. Love your sherry idea! Love it!
I was really young back then
It’s hard to remember. This is in no special order, only as I remember.
1.Around 1975-1982 there used to be a barbecue stand next to De La Salle University Taft in the parking lot. I always remember the barbecue as being the best I’ve tasted!
2. My grandmothers lumpia and anything she ever cooks.
3. My mothers thin crust pizza, it was so tasty.
4. Barrio Fiesta in Magallanes. Crispy Pata, Kare-Kare
5. Grandmothers beef stew.
6. Fresh lumpia inside a stand in South Supermarket magallanes.
7. The dried fish varieties in Cebu, so delicious. I can live off this food forever.
8. Dalagang bukid for breakfast.
9. Mothers cooking, she had a special cookbook a collection of recipes cut out from newspapers. That’s why I came out malusog. The beef marrow soup, was delicious. I think we referred to it as cow brains, later on found the latter meaning.
10. Fish in the philippines, just so tasty compared to anything else? Friend joked it was the extra mercury.
Oh and the foods we eat for noche buena or christmas holidays in Manila. Also have to add, I love the soup of balut only.
I don’t know why “Americanized” Filipino Americans bother me.
Am I jealous?
Charles, I think your comment was meant for the previous entry?