How to Cook Crispy Kare-Kare Pork Pata

5 from 1 vote

Crispy kare-kare pork pata is a delicious fusion of tender, deep-fried pork hock and creamy peanut sauce, combining rich textures and flavors in every indulgent bite.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 40

Course: Pork Recipe

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: crispy kare kare, kare kare pata

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Manny

Ingredients

1 whole pork pata cleaned and hairs removed
1 tsp. whole black pepper
1/2 Tbsp. course salt
1 pc onion quartered
water for boiling
cooking oil for frying
sauteed shrimp paste bagoong alamang

Ingredients for the kare-kare sauce:

3 cups beef or pork broth
6 Tbsp. peanut butter
4 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 Tbsp. patis
2 Tbsp. glutinous rice flour
2 pcs eggplant sliced
2 bundles string beans chopped into 3 inches length
2 bundles pechay
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 tsp. achuete powder

Instructions

How to cook Crispy Kare-Kare Pork Pata:

In a pot, combine pork pata, whole black pepper, onion, salt and enough water just to cover the pork pata. Bring to a boil and cook until tender for about 40 minutes. Drain and let dry.
Deep fry in hot cooking oil until the skin are crispy for about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain excess oil and slice in serving pieces if desired.
Steam the eggplant first than after 5 minutes add the string beans. After 4 minutes add the pechay in the steamer. Steam for another 3 minutes then turn of heat. Remove from the steamer and set aside.
To make the kare-kare sauce; in a sauce pan, heat oil and saute garlic. Put the water, peanut butter, rice flour, patis, pepper and atchuete powder.
Stir until the rice flour is dissolved and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens and turn off heat. Serve sauce in a separate bowl with the crispy pata and vegetables. Serve also with sauteed shrimp paste.

Video

Notes

Cooking Tips:

How to Get Your Extra Crispy Pork Skin

To get the crispiest pork hock, I dry-boil pork skin thoroughly before frying. Paper towels dab it flat and let air dry for a few minutes to allow excess moisture to evaporate. This is vital because if there is a lot of moisture, the oil splatters while frying and fails to give that fabulous crackly texture.

Control the Consistency of the Sauce

To get that silky-smooth sauce for kare-kare, remember to wet the rice flour, so to speak, dissolve it in some water before actually pouring it into your pan. Simmer and stir constantly so there would be no lumps and the smooth flow of the sauce is kept. If the sauce has gotten too thick, in as much as possible, water or broth should be added to achieve appropriate consistency.

Steam the Vegetables the Right Way

Steam them in stages, starting with the eggplant, followed by the string beans and then pechay. This way, every vegetable's starch released, as it would normally if it is exposed to too much heat, is minimized, and color and crunch come out vivid and clear. Mushy vegetables lose their specific texture and flavor if over-steamed.