Crispy Tenga Recipe (Crispy Pig Ears)
Crispy Tenga are deep-fried crispy pig ears that were first boiled until tender and then deep-fried until it turns crispy. This is generally considered as an appetizer and it is usually consumed with beer. In some instances, people like myself eat it with rice and spicy vinegar. It is like having crispy pata less the…
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Crispy Tenga are deep-fried crispy pig ears that were first boiled until tender and then deep-fried until it turns crispy. This is generally considered as an appetizer and it is usually consumed with beer. In some instances, people like myself eat it with rice and spicy vinegar. It is like having crispy pata less the meat.
It is important to thoroughly clean the pig ears before cooking. Make sure to wash it well with running water. I also boil it twice. The water is discarded during the first boil. The seasonings and spices are added during the second boil. This is where I cook the ears using the inadobo method until these get very tender. Tenderizing the skin by boiling is important. It is the secret in having a crispy texture when deep-fried. This is how I make crispy tenga and other dishes such as lechon kawali.
I need to emphasize this. Please be very careful when deep-frying the ears. This contains fat and it can cause the hot oil to splatter. Make sure that you cover the pot or your deep fryer with a splatter screen to reduce the risk of being splattered with hot oil.
Happy cooking! I hope that you learned something new today. Please send me a comment below with questions or clarifications. You can also simply say hi. Don’t worry – I don’t bite.
Try this Crispy Tenga Recipe. Enjoy!
Watch the Video on How to Cook Crispy Tenga
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Crispy Tenga Recipe (Crispy Pig Ears)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. pig ears cleaned thoroughly
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 to 6 pieces dried bay leaves
- 1 to 2 teaspoons whole peppercorn
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar
- Water for boiling
- 4 cups cooking oil
Instructions
- Combine 5 cups water and pig ears in a pot. Let boil. Cover and boil in medium heat for 20 minutes. Discard the water.
- Pour a new batch of water to the pot where the ears are. Add garlic, bay leaves, whole peppercorn, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and let boil.
- Pour the soy sauce and vinegar on the pot. Let the liquid boil again. Cover and continue to boil in medium heat for 60 minutes or until tender.
- Remove the ear from the pot. Let it cool down and then slice into small pieces.
- Rub remaining 1 teaspoon salt all over the ears.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep cooking pot. Once the oil gets hot enough, deep-fry the pig ears until the texture becomes crispy.
- Remove from the deep fryer and let the excess oil drip.
- Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with spicy vinegar.
- Share and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Claire says
Chef, have you tried doing the frying of the pig’s ears in air fryer? Will it work?
marice says
thanks for the reipe!
chinggay says
can i boil pigs’ ears for 20 minutes in a regular pot? thank you.
Vanjo Merano says
Hi Chinggay, yes you can use a regular pot to boil pig ears. It is what I did.