TULAPHO (Crispy Fried Pork)

Tulapho or crispy fried pork sounds delicious. I’ve been eating this dish since I was a little kid but didn’t know the name or how it was made. It’s a Filipino dish that originated in Iloilo, Philippines. Large chunks of pork belly slices are boiled in water with aromatics like salt, dried bay leaves, and whole black peppercorns until they’re soft and tender. The water evaporates and fat comes out of the pork. The meat then gets cooked in its fat until golden brown and crispy.

Sounds easy enough, right? But there are a few things you need to know before cooking this dish. The oil or fat from the pork splatters a lot during the frying stage, so you need to use a lid or an oil splatter screen to cover the pan. I almost burned myself when the oil splattered on my arm while sauteing the pork. Also, the oil splattered all over the stove and some on the floor. Next time, I’ll cook it outside in the backyard and not worry about the splatter mess.

This recipe only uses a few ingredients, which I love! I used 2 lbs of whole pork belly that I bought from a local Filipino supermarket. You can have them slice it for you, but I wanted to slice the meat myself. I used a generous amount of salt and whole black peppercorns to season the water which would also season the meat as it cooks.