Recipe: Laithaun - Traditional Manglorean Suckling Pig (Pigling) Roast

Traditional Manglorean Roast Pigling is called "Laithaun" in Konkani. Its normally stuffed with a mixture of bread, raisins, nuts, liver, onions & spices. It is served with a side of fresh mustard and a soup made from the drippings.

When its served by a caterer at a wedding/christening/roce - its sliced up into thin elegant looking slices - a sliver of skin & fat with a bit if meat. But since we had ordered it for Xmas for our family and we are a family of trigger happy foodies, we told the guy who does the roasting (Jojo Caterers) to deliver it as is & we would do the slicing ourselves after we finished taking pics.

If they serve it whole at a function (an extra for decoration & then taken home for consumption after the event) it is served resting on its stomach (as seen in movies)

I don't remember roast pigling, ever being made from scratch at home. My great grandma might have done it in her time before caterers and large bakeries came on the scene. I do know that some of the bakeries in Mangalore, will let you rent their huge ovens for a couple of hours if you want to roast a pigling that you have stuffed yourself.

J B Lobo's - Home Encyclopedia does have a recipe for Roast Pigling and thats what I've posted below verbatim :)


Kill the pigling. Pour boiling water over, a little at a time, and remove the hair and thin dry outer skin by scraping the hot surface with a knife as quickly as possible. When the skin is cleaned, make a slit down the belly. Remove entrails. Clean inside thoroughly. Also clean the ears and nose well. Wash the pigling in several rinses of cold water.

Prepare the stuffing as described below and stuff the belly. Stitch, using a trussing needle and strong thread. Apply salt all over. Place in a roasting tin and roast at 350F (175C) basting frequency. When done, remove and immediately sprinkle over with chilly powder and turmeric (the heat of the roast pigling will cook the spices). Set aside, into the roasting tin, add flour, chilly powder and turmeric and fry for a couple of minutes. Add water and vinegar and bring to a boil. Simmer till gravy consistency is reached.

Grind masala for the stufflings: 8 Kashmiri chilies (or Kumta long chilies); 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp turmeric powder; 8 peppercorns; 5cm piece ginger.

Other items for stuffling: ½ pod garlic; 1 tsp garam masala (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom); vinegar and salt to taste; 500 gms cooked potatoes; 500 gms cooked peas; 250 gms onions; 250 gms bread; 1 liver; 1 heart; 1 kidney, 100 gms fat for frying.

Preparation of Stuffing: Grind dry spices using vinegar. Chop garlic and ginger. Dice potatoes. Chop onions. Cut into fine pieces the liver, heart and kidney. (These should be cleaned well by soaking in salt water to remove blood). Heat fat. Fry onion, garlic and ginger. Add ground spices and fry for a few minutes longer. Add vegetables, chopped organ meat and breadcrumbs and mix well.