Lechon Paksiw is a sweet and tangy Filipino dish made from leftover lechon or roasted pig. Usually, Filipinos serve roasted pig at parties and big gatherings.
As popular lechon is to a lot of Filipinos, the host somehow still ends up with leftovers, and that’s when the host will make Lechon Paksiw. Paksiw is a process that means “cooked in vinegar, garlic, and salt”, similar to adobo. Lechon Paksiw is arguably just as loved as lechon itself.
For the longest time, I thought Lechon Paksiw is impossible to veganize. After all, how do you veganize roasted pork? I guess there’s always mock pork and wheat gluten, but mock pork is usually sold pre-seasoned and wheat gluten or seitan sometimes don’t have the right texture. Not to mention, both mock pork and wheat gluten are heavily processed products.
Enter the jackfruit. I don’t know who came up with the idea, but all of a sudden the vegan world started buzzing about jackfruit and how it could veganize pulled pork. Genius! I wonder why I never thought of it considering I’ve been familiar with jackfruit all my life. Jackfruit is a native fruit of Southeast Asia and a staple product in the Philippine province of Davao. Never mind that I found about it rather late. The important thing is I did and now I could re-invent more Filipino dishes and veganize them including Lechon Paksiw.
It’s good to point out that this recipe is simple, easy, cruelty-free, very inexpensive, and much healthier than the meat version.
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and minced
- 1 (10 ounce when drained) can green, unripe jackfruit in brine (NOT in syrup), chopped and shredded. You can also use fresh jackfruit if available. Just make sure you use unripe fresh jackfruit (still green), remove seeds and tough parts, and boil until tender then drain.
- 2 pinches sea salt
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, add more if using fresh jackfruit
- 3-4 pieces bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons organic sugar
- ½ - 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Heat small pan over medium heat. Once hot enough, add oil and garlic. Saute until garlic is slightly golden and fragrant.
- Add jackfruit and salt. Saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Season with soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, and black pepper.
- Let it simmer for 15 minutes without cover or lid. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve hot, preferably with rice.
When using fresh jackfruit in the recipe, add another teaspoon of vinegar to the recipe then adjust seasoning to taste.
You can also use a popular Lechon sauce called "Mang Tomas". Just check the ingredients list first before buying. The Mang Tomas in the states are usually vegan but the local ones in the Philippines have liver.
Admittedly, I wasn’t even planning on making Lechon Paksiw. I was recipe testing for a vegan pork adobo recipe using unripe jackfruit when I realized that it’s more suitable for Lechon Paksiw. I guess the failed recipe test wasn’t a failure after all!
lechon paksiw was my childhood fave! I’m excited to try this veganized version!
It was my childhood fave too. Feel free to let me know how it goes! 🙂
should the jackfruit be drained?
Hi Kristin, yes it should be drained. I’ll edit it now. Thanks!
Hi RG! I don’t have any jack fruit, but would fried tofu do? Thanks!
Hi April! You could certainly use tofu although it won’t have the same texture as pulled pork. Other than that, the flavor will remain the same. Hope that helps!
OMG it looks so easy to make!!! Can’t wait to try this!!! Thank you for the recipe <3
Hello, RG! Maybe I’m not the first one to ask this, but speaking of lechon, do you have a vegan recipe for lechon sauce? Thank you 🙂
Not yet
Hello, Is the can of jackfruit 10 ounces total or 10 ounces drained?
(My cans says NET WT. 20 OZ DRAINED WT. 10 OZ.)
I want to make sure that I’m adding the right amount of seasoning and liquid.