RECIPE: Roasted Pata

The roasted pata can easily be the star of your Noche Buena this year. Why? It's got the crispiness of a lechon belly and the tastiness of a roasted chicken. Already tastes good from the description alone, right?

Pata or pork hock or pork knuckle is a cut of pork that is also used in hams. It's a Filipino favorite and a staple in restaurants, either prepared in a stew (pata tim, paksiw) or simply fried. Crispy pata is a staple celebration dish but this roasted pata version is more festive.

Aside from being lip-smacking, this new Noche Buena dish is perfect for families or groups of five individuals and below who want a more affordable centerpiece to feast on.

It's more practical to have roasted pata instead of one whole lechon especially when there's only a few individuals in your family. It's also healthier than its greasy fried version.

While roasted pata is already available in some restaurants that serve roasted food, you can make your very own erasted pata for your dear ones during the holidays.

In a recent episode of Unang Hirit Eat Girl Love Añover learned how to make roasted pata from Leonard Aquino, the owner of The Lechon Shop by Leonardo's Lechon on Scout Tobias street, Quezon City.

If you want to make this mouthwatering dish for Noche Buena, below are the ingredients and procedure.

Ingredients:

Pata or pork knuckle
Lemongrass
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Onions
Soy sauce

Procedure:

1. Debone the pata. There are tutorials online but you can ask your butcher to do this. When deboned, stuff pata with lemongrass and a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, onions, and soy sauce. You can also add chili peppers for a spicy version.
2. Secure the pata by tying lemongrass around it.
3. Let it marinate for two days.
4. Roast in the oven or turbo broiler until you achieve your desired crispiness

This recipe is very flexible since you can add more herbs, spices, and seasonings to your roasted pata in whatever way you want. The sky's the limit!

Watch and learn how to make your very own roasted pata for the holidays with Love Añover in the Unang Hirit video below.

For more Noche Buena recipes like this, watch Unang Hirit from Monday to Friday at 5:30 A.M. on GMA-7.

And for more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.

Check out also the unique Baked Chicken Sinigang or Bachigang recipe.