Crispy Liempo

Ingredients:

• 750 – 1000 grams of liempo

Marinade:

• Soy sauce
• White vinegar
• 2 tablespoon of Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon of banana/tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce
• Finely chopped onion and garlic
• 3 tablespoon of calamansi
• Maggi Magic Sarap
• Whole rosemary
• Sage
• Black pepper

Here’s how:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients using a wide bowl or container. Add more soy sauce or vinegar if desired.
2. The normal liempo cuts from the supermarkets are usually pretty long, so better cut them in halves. Get the liempo submerged in the marinade.
3. Let it sit for at least two hours (though overnight is the best).
4. This requires a semi-deep frying procedure (i.e. about 2 – 3 cups of oil to fry 3 – 4 liempo cuts).
5. A technique is to just “partially” cover the pan while frying and let the air in.
6. Constantly check the liempo to avoid getting burned too quickly. The color can change drastically because of the soy sauce to remember to keep an eye on the pan. It may take a good 3 – 4 side turns before a piece gets nicely cooked.
7. Once the liempo has turned gold-to-dark brown, let them air dry. This should give them a nice crispy texture.
8. Cut them into bite sizes and then ready to serve.