Crispy Pata Cooking Instruction:
- Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.
- Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.
- Pour water and soda in a cooking pot then let boil.
Put-in dried bay leaves, whole peppercorn, star anise, and 4 teaspoons of salt.
- Add the whole pata in the cooking pot then simmer until the leg becomes tender (about 1 hour).
- Remove the tender leg from the cooking pot and set aside until the temperature goes down.
- Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.
- Rub the leg with garlic, ground black pepper, and remaining salt. Let stand for 15 minutes to absorb the rub.
- Heat a frying pan (must be with cover) and pour-in cooking oil.
When the oil becomes hot, deep fry the pork leg.
When placing pata in heated oil get your cover ready there will be a lot of hot oil splashing. Set your stove from high heat to medium when you have placed the pata in the frying pan, then set to low heat when pata starts to turn to golden brown in color.
- Continue cooking in medium heat until one side becomes crispy, and then cautiously flip the leg to crisp the other side.
Turn-off the heat then remove the crispy pork leg and transfer it to a wide serving plate.
- Serve with atcharang papaya (pickles) and dipping sauce ( soy sauce, diced garlic and vinegar plus red hot chili if you want a spicy sauce).
|