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Kare-kareng Lechon sa Hurno is my parents anniversary menu. It’s only the three of us and it’s lockdown in Metro Manila, so having a big menu is such a waste. However, this recipe is like a two – in – one dish. You get a crispy pork belly cooked in the oven and the peanuty sauce of the kare-kare which many of us love.

I know cooking kare-kare takes a lot of patience because of so many ingredients to chop and so many things to prepare like the sautéed bagoong. Take it to next level and the steps increase, but I assure you it’s worth the effort.

One thing I learned from the catering seminar I attended years ago was to separate the sauce of the kare-kare from the vegetables and meat. By doing so, you will avoid the common problem of kare-kare which is spoilage.

Yup! I took it to the next stage. I simmered the pork belly until tender and baked it in the oven until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Then, I simmered the vegetables one – by – one in salted water and set it aside. Then I cooked the peanut sauce as usual but using the meat and vegetable broth for the sauce.

Tips

When cooking this Kare-kareng Lechon sa Hurno recipe, I highly suggest to cook the pork the night before. This saves you time and effort the following day. All you need to do the following day is bake it in the oven until crispy.

You can actually buy unsweetened peanut butter in the local market but since the market is so far from our home and the grocery only has the sweetened version all you need is some roasted peanuts. In my case, I bought some peeled peanuts in the grocery and pan roasted it until golden brown. Then, puree it in a blender or food processor. I highly suggest to simply use water or vegetable broth to make the peanut mixture. The peanut mixture is supposed to be the peanut butter. Adding water or vegetable broth makes the peanut mixture more flowable than using peanut butter. Also it’s much easier to incorporate into the sauce.

Since the sauce is separated from the vegetables and meat, you can simply reheat the peanut sauce and pour it over the vegetables and meat. This will avoid the vegetables from getting soggy when reheated.

For more similar dishes to this kare-kareng lechon sa hurno, check out our Kare-kare Recipes.

Ingredients

Lechon sa Hurno

1 kilo	Pork Belly
6 cloves	Garlic, crushed
1 piece	Onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon	Ground Black Pepper
8 cups	Water

Vegetable Broth

4 cups	Water
1 Tablespoons	Salt
1 piece	Banana Blossom or Banana Heart, quartered
2 pieces	Eggplants, halved and cut into 4 parts
2 bunches	Bok choy
10 pieces	Yard Long Beans or Sitaw

Sautéed Bagoong

1/2 cup	Raw Bagoong Alamang o Fermented Shrimp Paste
3 Tablespoons	Olive Oil
4 cloves	Garlic, chopped
1 piece	Onion, chopped
4 pieces	Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup	Water
6 Tablespoons	White Vinegar
1 teaspoon	Sugar
1/8 teaspoon	Ground Black Pepper
	Salt
	Red Chili

Peanut Mixture

1 1/2 cups	Roasted Peanuts
1 cup	Vegetable Broth

Peanut Sauce

3 Tablespoons	Olive Oil
6 cloves	Garlic, chopped
1 piece	Onion, chopped
4 cups	Meat Broth
3 cups	Vegetable Broth
2 pieces	Beef Bouillon Cubes
1 Tablespoons	Fressh Annatto Seed
1/4 up	Hot Water
2 Tablespoons	Sauteed Bagoong
1/4 teaspoon	Ground Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons	Cornstarch
1/4 cup	Water

Procedure

Lechon sa Hurno

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

In a saucepan, combine, pork, garlic, onion, ground black pepper and water. Boil and simmer until pork is tender.

Remove pork and set a side for 30 minutes. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pork skin is crispy and golden brown. Chop and set a side.

Pour the meat broth on a strainer to remove solids. Set a side the meat broth.

Vegetable Broth

In a pot, combine water and salt. Bring to a boil.

Add the banana blossom and simmer for 5 minutes or until done. Remove banana blossom and set a side.

Cook the vegetables one at a time and set a side.

Strain the vegetable broth and set a side the broth.

Sautéed Bagoong

Wash the raw bagoong and pour over a strainer. Do this twice and firmly press the raw bagoong onto the strainer. Set a side.

Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil.

Add tomatoes, water and vinegar. Cover and let it simmer until the tomatoes are fork tender. Press the tomatoes using the back of a fork.

Season with sugar, ground black pepper and salt. Add chili if needed. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the water completely evaporates. Set a side.

Peanut Sauce

In a saucepan, sauté garlic and onion in olive oil.

Pour in meat broth, vegetable broth and bouillon cubes. Boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Premix the annatto seed and hot water. Mix and let it marinate for 15 minutes. Strain and pour the red mixture into the broth.

Add the peanut mixture and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix from time to time to avoid burning the bottom of the saucepan.

Add the sautéed bagoong and ground black pepper. Mix and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Premix cornstarch and water. Mix and slowly pour into the peanut sauce to achieve desired thickness.

To Assemble

Place the vegetables at the bottom of your serving dish. Top it up with the lechon sa hurno. Pour over the sauce and mix. Otherwise, serve the peanut sauce on the side together with the sautéed bagoong.