Kare-Kare with Lechon Kawali
Peanut Stew with Crispy Pork Belly
Hi, I’m Krizell, a third culture kid and second-generation Filipino American. I’m passionate about preserving our Filipino heritage through food and hope you give these recipes a try!
Krizell•
July 12, 2025
Here’s a playful spin on the traditional kare-kare: this delightful peanut-based stew is presented in a deconstructed style, featuring crispy pork in place of the usual oxtail. Plus, you’re getting two recipes in one with this dish—lechon kawali is included as well. Feel free to prepare the lechon kawali ahead of time if you prefer!
Ingredients (19)
Ingredients (19)
Lechon Kawali (Crispy Pork)
Vegetables
Instructions
Start the Lechon Kawali (Crispy Pork)
Add pork belly (3 lb), onion (1) (or 2x shallots), garlic (6 cloves), black peppercorn (1 Tbsp), bay leaves, and salt in a large pot
Next, add in enough water to cover the pork belly.
Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on medium to medium-high heat until pork belly is fork tender. Approximately 30-40 minutes.
Once pork belly is done, remove it from the pot and set on a drying rack. Save broth and set aside.
Pat dry with paper towels. Using multiple toothpicks or a fork, poke pork belly skin multiple times.
Add enough salt to lightly cover the skin, then place in the refrigerator to cool for about 1-2 hours.
Vegetables
While the pork belly is drying I like to prepare the veggies and sauce ahead of time.
For the eggplant (2–3), fry in a wok or skillet with vegetable oil (2 Tbsp) until soft.
Notes
Notes
To make toasted rice powder simply place washed and dried uncooked rice onto a hot pan, toast until brown, then grind into a powder.
To save on using multiple pots. I used 1 large pot to boil the pork belly. Once that was done I used the same pot to make the sauce. I fried the eggplant in a wok and used that same wok to fry the pork belly.
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