Philippines Crispy Pata
Pig's leg is known in Filipino as pata. This pig's leg is deep-fried to a crispy texture. The process is relatively simple, but gets tricky when deep-frying, which can be dangerous for the novice cook. The crispy pata is typically served with atsara, a pickled papaya relish.
Recipe Servings: 4
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 40 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 12–15 cups (2.8–3.5 L) water
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) whole peppercorns
- 4–6 star anise, optional
- 2 Tbsp (40 g) salt, divided
- 1 whole pig’s leg (about 3–4 lbs/1.4–1.8 kg), cleaned
- 2–3 tsp (10–15 ml) garlic powder
- 2 tsp (10 ml) ground black pepper
- 8–12 cups (1.92.8 L) vegetable oil, for frying
- Atsara, as needed for serving (optional)
Directions
- Pour water into a very large pot and bring to a boil.
- Add dried bay leaves, whole peppercorns, star anise (if using), and 4 teaspoons (20 ml) of salt.
- Add whole pig’s leg to cooking pot and simmer for 45–60 minutes, until leg becomes tender.
- Remove leg from pot and allow to cool enough to be handled.
- Rub leg with garlic powder, ground black pepper, and remaining salt.
- Let meat rest for 15 minutes to absorb the rub.
- Pour vegetable oil into a different, large pot (with a cover) and set over medium heat.
- Place rubbed pork leg in hot oil and deep-fry until one side becomes crispy and then carefully flip leg to fry other side.
- Turn off heat, remove leg, and transfer to a serving plate.
- Serve pata hot with atsara on the side, if desired.
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