Ensaladang Liempo Recipe (Filipino Grilled Pork Salad)

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe with grilled pork belly, calamansi, and fresh vegetables. Simple steps and bold Filipino flavor.

How to Cook Ensaladang Liempo Recipe at Home

This Ensaladang Liempo Recipe brings together smoky pork belly, sharp calamansi, crisp vegetables, and clean heat from chili. The dish works as a main meal or a shared side. Many Filipino homes serve this grilled pork salad during warm days, family gatherings, or weekend meals. The mix of grilled meat and fresh vegetables gives balance, strong flavor, and texture in every bite.

Unlike heavy pork dishes, this Filipino pork salad feels light yet filling. The marinade softens the pork belly and adds sweet and salty notes. Fresh tomatoes, onions, and cucumber cut through the richness. Calamansi gives a bright finish that lifts the whole dish. Each part has a clear role, which makes this recipe easy to follow and repeat.

Why This Dish Works

This ensaladang liempo uses simple steps and clear flavors. Pork belly brings fat and smoke. Citrus adds sharpness. Vegetables add crunch and color. Chili adds heat when needed. The recipe avoids extra sauces and keeps the taste clean. You can serve it with rice, grilled fish, or cold drinks.

Many cooks also call this dish a grilled pork salad or grilled pork belly salad Filipino style. It fits well on a shared table. You can prep parts ahead and assemble before serving. The result feels fresh and bold without effort.

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe Ingredients (For 4 Servings)

Pork and Marinade

1 kg pork liempo (pork belly)
10 pieces kalamansi (about ½ cup / 120 ml juice)
8 cloves garlic, crushed
60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce / toyo
240 ml (1 cup) lemon-lime soda (Sprite)

Fresh Vegetables

2 medium tomatoes (kamatis), sliced
1 medium red onion (sibuyas), thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber (pipino), sliced
2–3 labuyo chilies, sliced (optional)

These ingredients support the classic taste of a Filipino ensalada recipe. You can adjust chili based on heat preference.

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions

1. Marinate the Pork

Place the pork belly in a bowl. Add calamansi juice, garlic, soy sauce, and soda. Mix well and coat all sides. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 3 hours. Longer time improves flavor. This step forms the base of this liempo recipe.

2. Pan-Fry the Pork

Remove the pork from the marinade and save the liquid. Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Pan-fry the pork belly until both sides turn brown. Set the pork aside. The browning adds depth to this Filipino barbecue pork style dish.

3. Simmer Until Tender

Place the pork back in the pan. Pour in the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until the pork turns tender and the sauce reduces. The liquid should coat the meat, not flood the pan.

4. Slice and Assemble

Cut the pork belly into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add tomatoes, onions, and cucumber. Add chili if you want heat. Toss gently to keep the vegetables crisp. This step completes the ensaladang liempo with calamansi taste.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe Flavor and Texture Breakdown

This dish balances fat, acid, salt, and crunch. Pork belly gives richness. Calamansi cuts through fat. Soy sauce adds depth. Soda adds mild sweetness. Fresh vegetables refresh the palate. Each bite feels clean and bold.

The salad works well as a spicy ensaladang liempo when you add more chili. It also works mild when you skip labuyo. This balance makes it flexible for many diners.

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe Serving Ideas

Serve this Filipino side dish with steamed rice or garlic rice. Pair it with grilled fish or simple soup. It also fits well in a spread of summer Filipino recipes. The dish stays stable at room temperature for short periods, which helps during gatherings.

Leftovers keep well in the fridge for one day. Reheat the pork lightly and add fresh vegetables again if needed.

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe Cooking Tips

Slice onions thin to avoid harsh bite
Use fresh calamansi for clean acid
Do not overcook vegetables
Cut pork after it rests for better texture

These tips help keep the pork liempo recipe consistent and clean.

Nutrition Notes

This dish gives protein and fat from pork belly. Vegetables add fiber and water content. Calamansi provides vitamin C. You can reduce fat by trimming excess pork fat before cooking.

Equipment Needed

To cook this Ensaladang Liempo Recipe, you need a sharp knife, cutting board, mixing bowls, measuring cups, a wide frying pan, tongs, and a serving bowl.

Best-seller Filipino Cookbooks:

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe (Filipino Grilled Pork Salad)

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe (Filipino Grilled Pork Salad)

Recipe by Yummy FoodCourse: MainCuisine: FilipinoDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

1300

kcal

Total time

minutes

Ensaladang Liempo Recipe with grilled pork belly, calamansi, and fresh vegetables. Simple steps and bold Filipino flavor.

Ingredients

Pork and Marinade
1 kg pork liempo (pork belly)
10 pieces kalamansi (about ½ cup / 120 ml juice)
8 cloves garlic, crushed
60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce / toyo
240 ml (1 cup) lemon-lime soda (Sprite)
Fresh Vegetables
2 medium tomatoes (kamatis), sliced
1 medium red onion (sibuyas), thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber (pipino), sliced
2–3 labuyo chilies, sliced (optional)

Directions

Place the pork belly in a bowl. Add calamansi juice, garlic, soy sauce, and soda. Mix well and coat all sides. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 3 hours. Longer time improves flavor. This step forms the base of this liempo recipe.
Remove the pork from the marinade and save the liquid. Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Pan-fry the pork belly until both sides turn brown. Set the pork aside. The browning adds depth to this Filipino barbecue pork style dish.
Place the pork back in the pan. Pour in the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until the pork turns tender and the sauce reduces. The liquid should coat the meat, not flood the pan.
Cut the pork belly into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add tomatoes, onions, and cucumber. Add chili if you want heat. Toss gently to keep the vegetables crisp. This step completes the ensaladang liempo with calamansi taste.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 300 g
Servings Per Recipe: 4

Calories 1,300

Total Fat 105 g

Saturated Fat 38 g

Trans Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 130 mg

Sodium 980 mg

Total Carbohydrate 14 g

Dietary Fiber 2 g

Total Sugars 9 g

Protein 28 g

Vitamin D 0 mcg

Calcium 40 mg

Iron 2.4 mg

Potassium 520 mg

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are estimates.

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Related Recipes:

By Cooking Method: Frying | Simmering

By Cuisine: Filipino

By Diet or Lifestyle: Dairy-Free | High-Protein

By Dish Type: Salads | Skillet Recipes

By Main Ingredient: Pork | Vegetables

By Meal Type: Dinner | Lunch

Other Useful Categories: Beginner Recipes | Soy Sauce-Based Dishes | Traditional & Authentic

Easy Lechon Kawali Recipe

Lechon kawali is simply crispy pork belly deep-fried in a pan or wok (kawali).

Easy Lechon Kawali Recipe

What is Lechon Kawali?

Lechon kawali is simply crispy pork belly deep-fried in a pan or wok (kawali). It is also known as lechon carajay, in some areas of the Philippines.

Lechon Kawali is boiled first in a seasoning mixture. It is then fried to a crisp. After frying, it is chopped into pieces. It is usually eaten with rice accompanied with a dipping sauce, such as “lechon sauce” traditionally made with pork liver, or toyomansi (pormanteu of soy sauce with calamansi). Atsara (unripe papaya pickles) is a favorite side dish too!

Lechon Kawali, when fried extensively until it becomes crispy and crunchy, then becomes the Ilocano Bagnet. Bagnet is a variant of chicharon.

Left-overs could be used as the protein for vegetable dishes like Pinakbet and stir-fried water spinach with shrimp paste.

By the way, this dish should not be mistaken for the traditional lechon. Both dishes are prepared differently. A basic lechon recipe is HERE. Maybe it was called that way as a means of comparison to the crispy texture of the pork skin. Almost every Filipino kitchen has a kawali (wok or frying pan). Hence the name, pan fried crispy pork. Below is a picture of a typical Filipino kawali:

How To Cook:

The first step in cooking this dish is to boil the pork belly in seasoned water. The flavors from the seasonings are absorbed by the pork belly while boiling. It is important to get the pork belly really tender at this stage. When done, rub the pork belly with salt after it has cooled down.

The next step is deep-frying the pork belly in very hot oil. Deep-frying makes the pork belly (particularly the skin, crispy and crunchy). If the oil is not enough to completely deep-fry the pork belly, make sure to completely fry all sides.

NOTE: Deep-frying may result in oil splatters. Be very careful. Make sure you have a pan cover ready just in case the oil splatters. Just make sure not to cover completely so as not to create steam, which in turn might result into more oil splatters.