Lechon Kawali Silog Bowl

Method

1. Make a quick atchara (Filipino pickle): cut the carrot into fine matchsticks; halve the cucumber, scrape out the seeds and slice thinly. Stir the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved, toss in the vegetables and leave until serving.

   Add in this stepCarrot 60 gCucumber ½Cane vinegar (for the pickle) 3 tbspSugar (for the pickle) 1½ tspSalt (for the pickle) 1 pinch

2. Cut the pork belly, skin on, into 3 cm cubes. Put them in a 18 cm pot with the water, salt and bay leaves, bring to the boil on high heat and skim, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer for 30 min, until a chopstick slides in. Small cubes cook faster than a whole slab.

   Add in this stepSkin-on pork belly 400 gWater 1.2 LSalt 1½ tspBay leaves 2

   high heat→medium-low heat

3. Drain, pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper and set skin side up on a rack in the fridge for 20 min. Meanwhile, thinly slice the garlic and chop the spring onions.

4. Pour the oil into a deep 24 cm frying pan (about 1.5 cm deep) and heat on medium-high heat to 180 °C. Add the cubes skin side down and cover with a splatter guard. Fry for 9 min, turning with tongs, until the skin is puffed and blistered and every side is golden, then lift onto a rack. Keep your face away from the pan, as it spits.

   Add in this stepOil (for frying) 250 ml

   medium-high heat

5. In another pan or wok, heat part of the rice-and-egg oil on medium-low heat and fry the garlic for 2 min until pale gold, then add the rice and salt straight away. Turn up to high heat and stir-fry for 3 min, breaking up the grains with a spatula. Watch the colour: garlic turns bitter if it goes dark brown.

   Add in this stepOil (for rice and eggs) 0.9 tbspGarlic cloves, thinly sliced 6Cold cooked rice, ideally a day old 400 gSalt (for the rice) ½ tsp

   medium-low heat→high heat

6. Add the rest of the oil to the same pan on medium heat, crack in the eggs and fry for 3 min, until the whites are set and the yolks still soft (sunny side up).

   Add in this stepEggs 2Oil (for rice and eggs) 0.6 tbsp

   medium heat

7. Spoon the garlic rice into bowls and arrange the crispy pork, a fried egg and the lightly squeezed atchara side by side. Scatter over the spring onions. Break the yolk and mix it into the rice as you eat.

   Add in this stepSpring onions 1