lechon: the real deal

from pig to lechon.

warning: not for the faint hearted

this is what really happens behind the preparation of lechon.

go to my flickr account to check the photos.

i've set the pics there to make my foodie blog still safe and easy for guiltless reading.

i shot them from a fiesta in a province. it may be a shock to many but just normal to people who prepares them every feast.

click here for the extreme lechon pix.

ping ping lechon: chicharon bituka

As you visit ping ping lechon and restaurant at la loma, the familiar smell that would greet you is not the lechons displayed, but the very tempting cholesterolific chicharon bituka cooked outside.

this is one of those things that are bad for you but can't stop from taking one.

the chicharon is purely the intestines of pork. you may call this a by-product of the lechons they make.

the intestines are cleaned (hopefully they do this well) and boiled till tender. then they dry them up under the sun. after drying, they are cut into bite sized pieces and deep-fried just to cook through.

after the first frying, the cut intestines are drained and dried for the second time which makes it ready for the second and final deep frying.

Their final frying is done on the side of the road to keep the smell from their restaurant and to entice calorie craving customers.

you dip the chicharon bituka in vinegar, salt, pepper and siling labuyo. the vinegar will assist in washing away part of the calories from this oleaginous treat.

ping ping lechon and restaurant
la loma street, manila
+632-740-2111, +632-740-2175

ping ping native lechon

one time when we were going to pampanga, we went through a different road and passed by la loma. this is the lechon capital of metro manila. although lechon is available everywhere, this is where you will find the biggest lechon restaurants in manila.

ping ping lechon is open for decades now and it is only now that i got to go in their restaurant. outside, you'll see whole lechons in a big display area. inside, a typical old carinderia (canteen) is still maintained by the chinese owners.

they already serve other dishes to complement their roast pig. we ordered pansit with the lechon. quality of the roast is still good. skin is crackling crisp. meat is juicy and tender. this is made possible by roasting the pig on a slow fire for several hours.

served with the lechon is a liver sauce. the sauce is made up of roasted liver, chopped finely, and made into a thick peppered stew mildly sweetened to suit the traditional filipino taste...which i never liked. i prefer dipping the lechon in vinegar, soy and chili to spice it up.



ping ping lechon and restaurant

la loma street, manila

+632-740-2111, +632-740-2175