Crispy Pork Knuckles are sliced pork hocks that were pressure cooked (or boiled) until very tender, and then deep fried twice until crispy. I came about the idea when there were no whole pig’s leg (pata) available in my local meat shop. I was really craving for crispy pata during that day, so I decided to make these instead.
It’s a pity that whole pata cannot be always purchased in the supermarkets or meat shops within my neighborhood. I needed to travel far in order to get the supplies and ingredients that I need. Although there are Filipino stores close-by, these establishments do not usually sell fresh meat. I have to travel further south in order to get all the necessary Filipino supplies and ingredients.
For those of you wondering what “Putok-batok” means, it is a slang used to describe the effects of high blood pressure. Since pork (specifically the fatty parts) can increase our blood pressure, eating dishes such as crispy pata should be controlled. I had it in there to remind everyone no matter how good this dish is, proper caution still needs to be exercised.
What makes these crispy pata slices better is the dipping sauce. Imagine soaking your crispy pata for at least 30 seconds in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion, chili peppers, and other spices. Need I say more? You know what I am talking about. Yummy, isn’t it?
This dish can be enjoyed as a main dish with rice. It also makes a good pulutan. Having said that, I think that this can be a more convenient pulutan because you can simply grab a slice and indulge, as opposed to manually cutting a whole crispy pata in order to get a piece of it.
Try this Crispy Pork Knuckles Recipe. Let me know what you think.
Putok Batok Crispy Pata Slices
Ingredients
- 2 ½ to 3 lbs. Pork hock pata, sliced
- 3 cups cooking oil
- 1 bunch lemongrass tanglad, tied into knots
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorn
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 cups water for boiling
Dipping sauce ingredients:
- ½ small red onion minced
- 4 pieces Thai chili chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Pour water in a pressure cooker. Let boil.
- Add pata slices, lemongrass (dahon ng tanglad), garlic, and whole peppercorn. Pressure cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove the tender pata from the pressure cooker. Place in a clean plate.
- Season with salt. Gently rub the salt all over the pata.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a deep cooking pot. Deep fry the pata slices for 6 minutes.
- Let the pata cool down, and then deep fry for another 3 minutes.
- Remove from the fryer. Let the excess oil drip.
- Arrange in a serving plate and then prepare the crispy pata dipping sauce.
- Serve. Share and enjoy!
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