Crispy Pata

A whole hock boiled tender, dried hard, then deep fried in one piece.

Pork. Not vegetarian — contains pork.

Ingredients

• 1 whole pork hock, about 1.5 kg, skin on
• 6 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 onion, halved
• 45 g salt
• 2 litres water, for boiling
• 2 litres oil, for deep frying, which is poured off

Method

1. Boil the whole hock with the bay, peppercorns, onion and salt for 90 minutes, until a skewer goes into the thickest part with no resistance. It is a joint on the bone and it wants the full time.
2. Lift it out whole and pat it dry.
3. NOW DRY IT UNCOVERED IN THE FRIDGE FOR 12 HOURS, or point a fan at it for three. THE SKIN MUST BE BONE DRY. Wet skin in hot oil steams instead of blistering, spits violently, and gives leather rather than crackling.
4. Heat the oil to 180C in a pot deep enough to take the joint and tall enough to contain the boil-up when it goes in.
5. LOWER THE WHOLE HOCK IN AND STAND BACK. Fry 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until the skin has blistered all over and gone deep amber.
6. It is fried WHOLE and cracked apart at the table with a cleaver or a spoon. A hock cut up before frying leaks its juice and the exposed meat dries out.
7. Serve with a dip of vinegar, soy, garlic and chilli. Pour the oil off once cooled.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Philippines · All recipes