Chicharon bulaklak (crispy pork ruffle fat) is pork mesentery that is boiled until tender, then deep-fried until it curls into crisp, golden ruffles. Bulaklak is Tagalog for flower, which is exactly what the frilly pieces look like once they hit the oil. It is crunchy, rich and salty, and it is always eaten with a sharp, spicy vinegar that cuts the fat.
You need 2 pounds of ruffle fat, water, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves and oil. It takes about 1 hour 10 minutes, most of it simmering, and serves 4 as pulutan.
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Recipe
Chicharon Bulaklak (Crispy Pork Ruffle Fat)
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse the ruffle fat under cold running water, opening up the folds, until the water runs clear. If it still smells strong, rub it with a little salt and vinegar and rinse again.
- Put the ruffle fat, water, salt, peppercorns and bay leaves in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a fork slides in easily.
- Lift the ruffle fat out and let it drain in a colander until it stops dripping. For the crispiest result, spread it on a tray and chill it uncovered in the fridge for several hours.
- Cut it into pieces about 3 inches across and pat every piece dry with paper towels.
- Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot, no more than half full, to 350 to 375°F (176 to 190°C). Fry a few pieces at a time, standing back and keeping a lid close by because the fat spits, until golden brown, curled and crisp.
- Drain on a rack or paper towels and serve hot with spiced vinegar.
What is chicharon bulaklak?
Chicharon bulaklak is a Filipino deep-fried snack made from the ruffle fat of a pig. In English it is usually called crispy pork ruffle fat or fried pork mesentery.
It is pulutan, the food set out on the table when people are drinking together, and it sits beside lechon kawali and crispy pata as one of the classic fried pork dishes. Unlike those two, there is no meat to speak of. The whole point is the crunch.
What part of the pig is ruffle fat?
Ruffle fat is the mesentery, the thin, fatty membrane that holds the intestines in place and attaches them to the wall of the abdomen. Raw, it looks like a pale, frilly sheet with fat running through it.
Ask a butcher or a Filipino or Asian grocery for pork ruffle fat or pork mesentery. It is often sold already cleaned, sometimes frozen. Thaw frozen ruffle fat in the fridge before you start.
How do you clean ruffle fat?
Rinse it under cold running water and open up every fold as you go, because the ruffles trap whatever was on the surface. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear.
If it still smells strong, rub it with a little salt and vinegar, then rinse again. Even pre-cleaned ruffle fat gets a rinse. This is not a step to rush.
Why boil the ruffle fat before frying?
Boiling makes the fat tender and seasons it all the way through, so the frying only has to make it crisp. Fried straight from raw, it would brown on the outside long before the inside softened.
All three recipes checked for this page boil first, with salt, and most add whole peppercorns and bay leaves. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a fork slides in easily.
Chicharon bulaklak step by step
Rinse the ruffle fat well, opening up every fold.- Simmer with salt, peppercorns and bay leaves until tender.
- Lift it out and let it drain completely.
- Cut into pieces and pat every piece dry.
- Fry a few pieces at a time and keep a lid close.
- Drain on a rack and serve hot with spiced vinegar.
How do you fry it without the oil spitting everywhere?
Dry the pieces properly and fry only a few at a time. Water is what makes hot oil spit, and ruffle fat holds a lot of it in its folds after boiling.
- Drain the boiled fat until it stops dripping, then pat every piece with paper towels.
- For the driest surface, spread the boiled fat on a tray and chill it uncovered in the fridge for several hours before frying.
- Use a deep, heavy pot filled no more than halfway with oil, so it has room to bubble up.
- Lower the pieces in with a spider or tongs, stand back, and keep a lid close by to use as a shield.
- Never pour water on an oil fire. Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid.
How hot the oil should be is where the recipes differ. Foxy Folksy fries at 350 to 375°F (176 to 190°C), Bite My Bun at 400°F (200°C) for 3 to 5 minutes a side, and Panlasang Pinoy over low to medium heat. The card uses 350 to 375°F. It is hot enough to crisp the fat without scorching the thin edges before the thick folds are done.
It is ready when the pieces are golden brown, curled and hard to the touch of the tongs. Pale and bendy means it needs longer.
What do you dip chicharon bulaklak in?
Spiced vinegar. All three source recipes serve it that way, because the sharp, sour vinegar is what makes a plate of fried fat easy to keep eating.
A bottle of spiced cane or coconut vinegar is fine here. To make your own, Bite My Bun steeps palm and coconut vinegar with Thai chilies, garlic, ginger, black peppercorns and a little red bell pepper, salted to taste. The same dip works with chicken chicharon.
Can you make chicharon bulaklak ahead?
Yes, and it is the easiest way to do it. Boil the ruffle fat, drain it, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to fry. The time in the fridge also dries the surface, which means less spitting and a crisper finish.
Bite My Bun notes that the boiled fat can also be frozen. Thaw it in the fridge and pat it dry before it goes near the oil.
Fried chicharon bulaklak is best eaten the day it is made, while it still crackles. Foxy Folksy keeps leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How the amounts on this card were chosen
The card follows the amounts that at least two of three published recipes agree on: Panlasang Pinoy, Foxy Folksy and Bite My Bun. Two of them use 2 pounds of ruffle fat, 6 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of peppercorns and 4 cups of oil, and all three serve 4.
Two amounts do not agree. Bay leaves are 5 in Panlasang Pinoy and 4 in Bite My Bun, so the card says 4 to 5. Salt is 2 1/2 tablespoons in Panlasang Pinoy, 3 tablespoons for a larger 1 1/2 kg batch at Foxy Folksy, and 1 teaspoon at Bite My Bun. The card uses Panlasang Pinoy’s 2 1/2 tablespoons, since the salt goes into the boiling water and most of it stays there.
Bite My Bun also adds a crushed head of garlic to the boiling water. It is a good addition if you like it, but it is not on the card.
Questions people ask
What is chicharon bulaklak made of?
Chicharon bulaklak is made of pork ruffle fat, also called pork mesentery. It is boiled with salt, peppercorns and bay leaves, then deep-fried in oil until crisp.
What part of an animal is chicharon bulaklak?
It is the mesentery of a pig: the fatty membrane that holds the intestines and attaches them to the abdominal wall. It is sold as pork ruffle fat.
What is the English term for chicharon bulaklak?
Crispy pork ruffle fat, or fried pork mesentery. Bulaklak means flower in Tagalog, after the way the fat curls when it fries.
Is chicharon bulaklak unhealthy?
It is deep-fried pork fat, so it is very rich in fat and salt. It is a snack to share now and then, not an everyday dish. No calorie figure is given here because none of the three source recipes publishes one.
Why is my chicharon bulaklak chewy instead of crisp?
Usually it went into the oil wet, or it came out too soon. Drain and pat it dry, chill it if you have time, and fry until it is golden brown and hard, not pale and bendy.
