Ingredients :

1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)

1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite)

1 tablespoon of salt

2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)

4 tablespoons of flour

Enough oil for deep frying

Enough water for boiling

Preparation :

- Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.

- Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.

- On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

- Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.

- After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.

- In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.

Crispy Pata Dip Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic,
1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.