Chicharron de Panceta de Cerdo
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Peruvian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Peru is a country that produced some very fine cuisine. Being the virtual motherland of all Chillies means that a lot of their recipes contain just that. Chillies (or Aji, as they are called), are expertly blended with other ingredients to arrive at exceptional taste and flavour. This recipe for crispy belly of pork illustrates this perfectly.
Ingredients
  • For the meat
  • Pork Belly - one kilogram
  • Rock salt - one cup
  • Bay leaves – three
  • Chilli flakes – one teaspoon
For the vegetable
  • Sweet potatoes ( peeled and sliced into 12mm slices)
  • Vegetable oil – three tablespoons
For the Creole sauce
  • Red onions – two medium - ( peeled and thinly sliced).
  • Aji Chillies – three ( see note)
  • Green coriander ( cilantro) - one tablespoon chopped
  • Juice of one lime freshly squeezed.
  • White wine vinegar – one tablespoon
  • Pepper to taste
Instructions
Making the Creole sauce
  1. Add one tablespoon of salt to a cup of water. Mix until all the salt has dissolved
  2. Place the onions in a shallow dish. Cover with salted water
  3. Allow marinating for 10 minutes, then drain the water.
  4. Pat the onion slices dry with paper towels. Once complete, place in serving dish.
  5. Add the balance of the ingredients and season with pepper
  6. Cover with clingfilm and allow the ingredients to intermingle for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
  7. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator for use at a later stage
Cooking the crispy belly of pork and sweet potato
  1. Place the pork belly in a glass or plastic container. Cover with salt and roll until top and bottom is coated in salt.
  2. Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for two to three hours.
  3. After this, wipe the salt off the meat and wash in fresh water.
  4. Place the pork belly in a skillet and cover with water.
  5. Add the bay leaves
  6. Bring the water to a steady simmer and cook the belly until all the water has evaporated.
  7. At this point, the belly will start releasing rendered fat and will start frying.
  8. Turn the meat at regular intervals, allowing it to brown on both sides. The rind should be cooked until it is crispy. Remove the crispy belly of pork from the heat, sprinkle with chilli flakes and keep warm.
  9. Heat the vegetable oil to frying temperature in a frying pan. Fry the sweet potato in batches until cooked. Do not allow the slices to burn or become too browned.
  10. Serve with slices of crispy belly of pork topped with creole sauce as a plate, or on bread rolls as a sandwich.
Notes
To make this recipe authentic, <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/aji-amarillo-peruvian-yellow-chile-pepper-3029288" data-mce-href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/aji-amarillo-peruvian-yellow-chile-pepper-3029288">Aji Amarillo</a> or <a href="https://chilliworkshop.co.uk/chilli-varieties-from-a-to-z/lemon-drop-chilli/" data-mce-href="https://chilliworkshop.co.uk/chilli-varieties-from-a-to-z/lemon-drop-chilli/">Aji Limone </a>should used. If unavailable substitute with Jalapenos

This dish can also be served with Aji Verde sauce, but when doing so, omit the sweet potatoes.


This recipe yields 4 - 5 portions

Keywords: Crispy belly of pork
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 400g Calories: 806 Fat: 61 g Saturated fat: 20 g Unsaturated fat: 9 grams Trans fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 58 g Sugar: 43 g Fiber: 5 g Protein: 63 g Cholesterol: 0 mg
Recipe by The Chilli Workshop at https://chilliworkshop.co.uk/recipes-with-chilllies/peruvian-cooking-with-chillies/crispy-belly-of-pork/