Paksiw na Lechon made with chopped roast pork stewed in vinegar, liver sauce, and spices is perfectly sweet and tangy. It's a mouthwatering dish you'll love with steamed rice; a great use of roast pork leftovers!
If there is one thing we, Filipinos, go overboard during the holidays is the food. Our Noche Buena table is almost always groaning with the weight of various meats, sides, and sweets piled high.
Christmas is just another excuse for us to enjoy lechon along with the embutido, the pancit bihon guisado, the lengua in mushroom sauce, the buko pandan, the leche flan. But even with hefty appetites and a large crowd to partake of the feast, a whole roasted pig is simply too much to consume in one sitting.
There would be, for sure, plenty of leftover scraps and pieces of the crisp and succulent spit-roasted pig to turn into this mouthwatering lechong paksiw.
What is lechon paksiw
Like the sweet and tangy paksiw na pata, lechon paksiw is a Filipino-style dish stewed in vinegar and aromatics such as garlic, onions, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
It's traditionally made of chopped roast pork, usually from leftover lechon served the previous day for large parties. The accompanying liver sauce is also included in the stew to add savory flavor as well as sugar to balance the acidity.
Ingredient notes
- Meat- Don't have leftover lechon? Chopped up lechon kawali, crispy pata, oven-roasted pork, or lechon manok are also great options to use.
- Aromatics and seasonings- garlic, onions, bay leaves, and salt and pepper add depth of flavor.
- Sauce- simmer the pork in vinegar to add a tangy taste. Spit-roasted pork bought from restaurants usually come with Lechon sauce. Save some for the stew, make your own, or use bottled ones like Mang Tomas.
- Liver spread- add pate for a flavor boost. You can use fresh chicken livers, if preferred. Grill until cooked and process in a blender.
Sauce ingredients
A delicious paksiw, in my opinion, is all about the sauce! Here the ingredient ratios I use to achieve that perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- ยพ cup vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups lechon sauce-homemade or store-bought
- ยพ cup brown sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 /2 cup liver spread
- salt and pepper to taste
- Saute onions and garlic in a pan until softened. Add vinegar and water and bring to a boil, uncovered and without stirring to cook off and mellow out the strong acid taste.
- Add lechon sauce, sugar, pork, and bay leaves. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Lower heat, cover and continue to cook until meat is tender, adding more water in ยฝ cup increments as needed. Add liver spread and stir until well distributed.
- Season with salt to taste and generously with pepper. Continue to cook until sauce is slightly thickened.
Cook's tip
Craving paksiw na lechon but no leftover lechon? While the dish traditionally uses already-cooked roast, you can also start from scratch. Brown the chunks of pork shoulder or belly in hot oil until golden and crispy and proceed with the recipe, adding more water or broth as needed to fully cook the meat.
How to serve and store
- Give this pork stew a try! It's quick and easy to make and the perfect use of party leftovers. Serve with piping-hot steamed rice and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to months.
- Reheat in a wide pan over medium heat to 165 F, adding water or pork broth to loosen consistency if needed. For food safety, discard any reheated leftovers.
More pork recipes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- ยพ cup vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups lechon sauce, homemade or store-bought
- ยพ cup brown sugar
- 3 pounds (about 4 cups) leftover lechon or lechon kawali, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 3 bay leaves
- ยฝ cup liver spread
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add vinegar and water and bring to a boil, uncovered and without stirring, for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add lechon sauce and sugar and stir to combine.
- Add pork and bay leaves.
- Lower heat, cover and continue to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until meat is tender. Add more water in ยฝ cup increments as needed.
- Add liver spread and stir until well distributed.
- Season with salt to taste and generously with pepper.
- Continue to cook until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve hot.
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Rogie Yap says
Best lechon paksiw I've ever tasted! Thank youuuuu
Lalaine Manalo says
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed it ๐
Marianne Cardoza says
Hello please help me. I have leftover lechon. I can't cook it because I don't have lechon sauce. ๐ฅบ๐ Any alternative to lechon sauce? Thanks! God bless!
carlo carlito says
salamat po. more power
Lalaine Manalo says
You're welcome ๐
Shiela Mendez says
Finally found the lechon paksiw recipe that reminds me of how my mom's lechon paksiw tastes ๐
Lalaine Manalo says
Awww, thank you so much. Mom's cooking is the best and I am glad my recipe comes close ๐
bob says
I will support you website. Keep it up.
Please feature the recipe for kalderetang kambing.
Lalaine Manalo says
Here is my recipe for kalderetang kambing https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/kalderetang-kambing/ Enjoy!
Lynne says
Iโve been cooking lechon paksiw for a while now and though itโs good, there just seems to be something thatโs not quite right.
I tried this recipe and followed the measurements to a T and itโs perfect!!! Tastes exactly like the ones from restaurants.
Thank you Ms. Lalaine!! Love your other recipes too.
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you so much for your feedback. You made my day ๐
Kabbie says
Thank you for this recipe! So spot on!
Lalaine Manalo says
Thanks, Kabbie! Glad it worked out well.
Chanry says
Thank you ma'am Lalaine for this recipe ๐๐๐๐
Lalaine says
You're welcome ๐
Poch Kanapi says
Hello! Wondering what the turnout would be like without the liver spread. Any thoughts?
Lalaine Manalo says
You can omit the liver spread but lechon sauce also has liver in it ๐
Renski says
Thanks for sharing your recipe. The paksiw, eventhough itโs just my first time cooking it, turned out perfect!
Lalaine says
Thanks for the feedback, I am glad the recipe was helpful and turned out great for you!
Josh Barrientos says
I am now cooking lechon paksiw using this recipe. And I can say, as i am waiting for it to get tender...it ii going to be perfect. Thank you very much.
Lalaine says
Enjoy!
Ma.Christina Paez says
your lechon paksiw recipe is so delicious,thanks
Lalaine says
Thank you, Christina! I am glad you liked it.
Allan says
Thanks for your recipe, I was able to cook lechon paksiw for the first time and I got the taste! Keep up!
Lalaine says
Thanks for the feedback, Allan. I am glad you found the recipe helpful ๐
Ralph Kristian Gutierrez says
Luuuuv your recipe. It's like the paksiws that I really liked when I was little.
Lalaine says
Thank you so much, Ralph. I am happy to bring back delicious childhood memories ๐
Arian says
Hi. Since we don't have left over lechon, can I use any pork instead? Thank you.
Lalaine says
Hello Arian
Yes, you use any type of crisp-fried pork ๐
Jazzy Tan says
Hi Lalaine, You had a great online journal about filipino dish. Lechon Paksiw is one of the most well craved feed in the Philippines, this post is very helpful. I hope you'll continually post about traditional meal here in your blog.