Paksiw na Lechon

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
• ¾ cup vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups lechon sauce-homemade or store-bought
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 /2 cup liver spread
• salt and pepper to taste

1. 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.
2. Add lechon sauce, sugar, pork, and bay leaves. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Lower heat, cover and continue to cook until meat is tender, adding more water in ½ cup increments as needed. Add liver spread and stir until well distributed.
4. Season with salt to taste and generously with pepper. Continue to cook until sauce is slightly thickened.

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.