• First, inspect your dried taro leaves (tuyong dahon ng gabi) carefully. They should be brittle to the touch and free from any discoloration or mold. Break them into smaller, manageable pieces and set aside. If the pieces are too large (malalaki), you can gently crumble them using clean, dry hands (malinis at tuyong kamay).
• Heat canola oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot (makapal na kaldero) over medium heat (katamtamang init). Once hot, add your minced garlic (bawang), chopped onions (sibuyas), and ginger (luya). Sauté until the onions become translucent and the garlic turns slightly golden (hanggang maging malinaw ang sibuyas at mag-golden brown ang bawang), about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the diced pork belly (liempo) to the pot. Cook until the pork starts to brown lightly, about 5-7 minutes. Add the shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) and stir well to combine with the meat and aromatics.
• Pour in the coconut milk (gata) but leave the coconut cream (kakang gata) for later. Add the bruised lemongrass stalks (tanglad) and Thai chili peppers (siling labuyo). Bring to a very gentle simmer (pakuluan ng dahan-dahan) - you should only see small bubbles forming.
• Now comes an important step: add your dried taro leaves but DO NOT STIR (huwag haluin) for the first 10 minutes. Let them naturally sink into the coconut milk. Cover the pot and maintain a gentle simmer at low-medium heat (mahina hanggang katamtamang init).
• After 10 minutes, you can now gently push down any floating leaves with a wooden spoon. Still avoid stirring vigorously. Continue cooking for about 25 minutes more, or until the leaves have significantly darkened and softened.
• Add the coconut cream (kakang gata) and continue simmering. The key here is patience - cook until you see the orange-red oil starting to separate and float to the surface (hanggang lumitaw ang pulang langis sa ibabaw). This usually takes about 20-25 minutes more. This orange-red oil (pulang langis) is your sign of a properly cooked laing.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste (timplahan ng asin at paminta). If you want it spicier, you can add more chilies at this point. The final consistency should be creamy but not soupy (malapot pero hindi masabaw) - the sauce should coat the back of your spoon.
• Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to settle and the sauce to thicken slightly more. Serve hot with freshly steamed rice (mainit na kanin).

Your laing is ready when:

• The pork is fork-tender (malambot ang karne)
• The sauce is thick and creamy (malapot)
• Orange-red oil has surfaced (may pulang mantika sa ibabaw)
• The leaves are very tender and dark (malambot at maitim ang dahon)
• No more raw coconut milk smell remains (wala nang amoy ng hilaw na gata)