one filipino dish a week

This past weekend was my Uncle’s birthday. And in true Filipino fashion there was lechon. Although this lechon is nowhere near close to the amazing lechon’s of Cebu. I remember growing up that we would get some lechon almost every Sunday in a market in Talisay. The funny part about it was that every single lady that was selling knew my mom and would call her to buy from them as we walk through the market. They would beckon her “Dai [my mom’s name], ari dai [my mom’s name] init pa kaayo ri dai! Bagong haon!” (roughly translated to: “Miss, miss over here this one’s still really hot! Just came out of the pit!” I never really knew how my mom was known by all those ladies selling lechon. It’s one of those mysteries of my childhood.

Inevitably, there’s going to be some leftover lechon. I feel like no matter how may people are at a party there’s always some leftover lechon at the end of the day. And Filipino parties do last the entire day! The leftover lechon can be made into paksiw!! I think I like paksiw better than lechon. Now that I think about it, I like lechon better when it’s cooked the second time paksiw or put in the oven to make it crispy.

To make this paksiw I used: equal parts of water, soy sauce and vinegar, whole peppercorns, and a couple bay leaves. I just realized as I’m writing this now that I probably should’ve put some garlic. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes (~10-15mins). So that the fat from the pork gets mixed in with the juices.

Serve with some rice and pour the sauce on the rice. This was excellent (even though I forgot the garlic).

This is one modern party animal… har har har!