Chicharron

Hot weather makes me homesick. Nope, I don't miss the heat and humidity of the islands. What I long for is Filipino cooking. So today I made chicharron. Americans call it pork rinds or cracklin. In the UK, people refer to it as pork scratchings. I used to buy it (made in Denmark!) at the Chinese supermarket in Brussels but it was so salty and loaded with artificial flavouring that I learned to make my own.

I had some pork belly rind that I was going to throw away because I had no use for it until I thought - chicharron! It's not difficult to make, but does take some time. First rinse the pork rind well. Boil the rind in salted water until it's tender. Drain and cool. Scrape off the fat under the rind. (Occasionally I leave it on if I want a crunchy-chewy texture.) Slice the rind into equal sizes. Air-dry the rind on metal racks or dehydrate it in a low oven to get all the moisture out. Finally, deep fry it in oil that's very hot but not smoking. Season with salt. If chicharron's done right, it isn't greasy or fatty at all. If you get all the moisture out of the rind, there's virtually no splattering when you deep fry it, hence a less greasy kitchen to clean up.

Chicharron is a popular snack food back home. We also use it, chopped into smaller chunks or crushed into not-quite powder, as a topping for sauteed vegetables, noodles, fried rice, porridge or soups. It brings great texture to any dish. It's impossible to stop after just a few pieces. There's an almighty thunderstorm brewing outside so I'm going to take a cold beer, a small bowl of chicharron with some hot chili vinegar for dipping and enjoy the lightning show on the terrace.


If anyone wants to know how to make it, Mr Ruhlman explains it so much better here.