Richard Gomez shares festive lechon belly recipe in time for the holidays

As Christmas is fast approaching, take a cue from actor and politician Richard Gomez.

He shared a recipe for lechon belly in an episode of his online cooking show, Goma at Home.

"Lechon in any form is a favorite of many Filipinos. Serving Lechon usually connotes a feast or a celebration amongst family or friends," he wrote.

He also shared a few valuable tips for cooking the dish.

Richard said that he would blanch the pork belly before popping it in the oven to roast.

"What we'll do, before we put it in the oven, iba-blanch natin nang mabuti 'yung lechon belly. That way, 'yung skin niya will be soft and then crispy once you put it in the oven," he explained.

He also shared a nifty trick when cooking with lemongrass.

"'Yung dulo niya durugin natin ng konti so that the flavors will come out," he says as he uses the back of a knife to slighty crush the ends of a bunch of lemongrass stalks.

Here's how to make Richard's lechon belly.

Ingredients

liempo
salt
shallots
sili
crushed pepper
whole pepper
spring onions
lemongrass
ginger
laurel leaves
pomace oil

Procedure

1. Salt the meat side of the liempo.

2. Put chopped shallots, chopped sili, crushed pepper, spring onions, lemon grass in the middle

3. Roll the pork belly and secure with kitchen twine

4. Place the rolled pork belly into a pot of boiling water

5. Add chopped ginger, laurel leaves, and whole pepper to the water

6. Boil for 15 minutes then transfer to roasting pan

7. Poke holes all over the skin to make it crispy

8. Rub pomace oil all over the skin then add some salt

9. Place in 400 degree Fahrenheit oven and turn every six minutes for the first 15 minutes of roasting

10. Let it rest then remove the strings before carving and serving

Watch Richard prepare his lechon belly recipe here:

In a another episode of Goma at Home, he made a very rich and thick hot chocolate drink which is also perfect for the holidays.