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Do you read Oyster Food & Culture? Well I do. It is a “great place to exchange ideas and learn about culture through food”. Well recently, via an excellent post, OF&C made me realize that I know very little about Filipino food – how can that be? So I decided that not only was it time to remedy that, it was time to learn by doing!

I’ll start with this caveat. I am not Filipino. I may stick my foot in it once or twice here as I attempt to acquaint you (and myself) with a Filipino dish known as Adobo. I don’t know if the Philippines have an official national dish, but I can say Adobo must come close.

Adobo is not a recipe per se; it is a method by which anything– fish, fowl, vegetables or meat is marinated in vinegar, and spices. It is often braised and then browned in hot oil. Though some versions are finished under the broiler. Soy sauce may or may not be used. My version is made with boneless chicken thighs, but bone-in seems to be the norm. The dish is often garnished with an egg, but I did not know that when I prepared the version you see here. But I did serve it with rice, which is also very typical.

adobo prep at Sippity SupAdobo is a mingling of eclectic influences. Some regional– some imported. As the locals say, “Philippine food was prepared by Malay settlers, spiced by the Chinese, stewed by the Spanish and hamburgerized by the Americans”.

I think that may be partly a joke (especially the hamburger part) but it very clearly illustrates that Adobo morphed with the changing times and cultural influences that shaped the islands history.

I read that Adobo is a cousin to a popular Malaysian dish known as ginataan – chicken, pork and vegetables cooked in coconut milk and garnished with vinegar and garlic. But the main influences come from the Spanish who colonized and ruled the Philippines for more than three centuries. The Spanish most certainly introduced the locals to the idea of marinating, because before that almost everything was boiled. Some food experts say that as much as 80 Adobo prep by Sippity Suppercent of today’s Philippine dishes are derived from Spanish recipes.

That said, what makes Adobo truly Filipino however are its nearly limitless regional variations. Because the basic formula is easily enhanced, or if need be stretched by whatever is available locally. Variations of ingredients range from sugar cane to coconuts.

Despite all the regional variations, a few basic rules apply. Philippine vinegar, distilled from pineapple, sugar cane or coconut should be used whenever possible. But an acceptable substitution is cider vinegar. Purists insist that wine vinegar of any type cannot be used because it distorts the taste. The rice is an important component. It should be fluffy, never glutinous. It may be served plain or simply seasoned with garlic. Most of the versions I have seen include soy sauce. Mine does not because according to what I read at OF&C traditionalists “disavow soy sauce”.

Lastly vegetables are not to be served on the same plate as Adobo. They are said to “blur” the taste of the main dish. Though onions are an acceptably sweet exception to this rule. If you simply must have an accompaniment other than rice you may serve fruit. Pineapple and banana will certainly enliven the plate, but it seems that most Filipinos agree there nothing is better than a fresh mango.

I wish I had known that before I would have certainly included mango on my plate.

Chicken Adobo serves 4

• 3 onions, peeled and quartered, root end intact
• 2 c coconut vinegar
• 1 c coconut milk
• 20 clv garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 t tumeric
• 1 t whole black peppercorns
• 3 lb boneless chicken thighs
• salt, as needed
• steamed jasmine rice with garlic, for serving (optional)
• 4 whole thai bird chili peppers, halved lengthwise, or to taste
• garnish with egg ,mango, pineapple and/or more chilis

Chicken Adobo In a medium bowl, combine onion wedges, vinegar, coconut milk, garlic, bay leaves, tumeric, chiles, and peppercorns. Add chicken; Stir to coat. Then let it marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Arrange chicken and onion wedges in a clay pot or Dutch-oven. Pour marinade over chicken, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Taste for salt and seasonings.

Preheat broiler. Remove chicken from pot, and place on a baking sheet or broiler pan. Place under broiler until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, continue to cook the remaining liquid in the pot until it reaches a creamy consistency.

Prepare the rice to your liking. Fluffy with a bit of garlic is traditional.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter, and top with reduced sauce, and onion wedges. Serve with rice and your choice of garnish.

SERIOUS FUN FOOD
Source: Greg Henry

Ingredients:
1 cup POM 100% pomegranate juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 crushed bay leaves
pepper
3/4 c sugar
pork

In a saucepan mix all the wet ingredients and garlic together. Let it simmer. Add black pepper and crushed bay leaves. Allow the ingredients to fuse in together for a couple of minutes, then add the pork. Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the pork is cooked. It’s that simple… then you’re ready to enjoy your pom glazed adobo….

For plating, I blanched some okra to make an okra bed. Since it was Oscar’s night, I made an okra star shaped bed… and voila:

Source: Thank you for being so inventive Skip to Malou

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I Heart Adobo Chicken | 16×20 Inch Poster | $15

I Heart Adobo Pork | 16×20 Inch Poster | $15

I Heart Adobo Plain | 16×20 Inch Poster | $15

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I Love Adobo Variety | 16×20 Inch Poster | $15

AdoboLoco Classic Pork | 16×20 Inch Poster | $15

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Lassie Adobo | 16×20 Inch Poster | $15

If you read or visit this blog you’ll see that its all about Adobo, I LOVE Adobo. What can you love more than Adobo? Adobo Buffalo Wings of course! That’s right these are going to win you new friends and probably win you the best of show blue ribbon at your Superbowl party. Let’s get to it.

Serves: 6

Tools:

• Pot for the Adobo glaze
• Frying Pan or Fryer
• Area for draining off the fried chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 Bag of Frozen Chicken Wings & Drums ( 3lb)
• 2 cups Aloha Shoyu (low salt preferred)
• 2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger ( I usually add more because I like the flavor )
• 2-8 Minced Chili Peppers depending on how hot you want it. ( Hawaiian Chili Peppers if possible, you can substitute with any of your favorites. )
• black pepper (a few pinches of fresh ground pepper to taste)
• 4-6 large garlic cloves peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp of cornstarch mixed a quarter cup of water
• 2 – 3 cups peanut oil for deep frying the wings

Glaze Preparation:

1. Put a large pot on high heat ( I use a wok or pot on a gas burner )
2. Put all ingredients into your pot except for the chicken, oil and the cornstarch
3. Bring to a boil
4. Let it boil down and reduce liquid volume by half
5. Turn the heat down to a low boiling simmer
6. Stir in cornstarch always stirring and scraping the bottom to avoid chunks
7. Glaze starts to thicken up, once you can stir through and you can see the bottom of the pan with each stroke it’ll be perfectly thick to coat the chicken

Chicken Preparation:

1. In your frying pan or fryer bring your oil up to 365º
2. Make sure all chicken wings are thawed and dry ( I use a paper towel and dab off moisture ).
3. Drop all chicken wings and drums into the fryer/frying pan until golden brown and crispy
4. Once nicely browned remove and let drain excess oil
5. Drop all chicken into the pot with the Adobo Glaze, toss and coat all pieces
6. Transfer chicken into a nice serving dish and garnish with a couple bay leaves

Serve immediately and enjoy the party!

If you have followed along for any moderate length of time with my gastronomical misadventures, then certainly you have seen the word adobo mentioned a time or three. Whether it be chipotles in adobo which are stewed, smoked jalapenos or the Puerto Rican culinary reference which can be a seasoned salt or a mixture of fresh mashed garlic, herbs and citrus.

This adobo my friend is all together different in that we are talking Filipino food and in the Philippines, adobo is a cooking method or style of cooking and not so much a combinations of ingredients. Well sort of. It basically means to stew or braise in vinegar. That definition may or may not be too simple but the important thing here is that it tastes awesome.

A couple of things to note about this recipe. The addition of the coconut sauce and hot peppers is specific to a particular province of Luzon which is one of the few areas of the Philippines that utilize spicy chiles in cooking. I used habanero here but you could use jalapenos, gueros or even banana peppers. You will need to adjust the quantity of chile pepper depending on which you use. The less heat the more pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 habanero, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup coconut milk

PREPARATION:
1. Place everything except the oil and coconut milk in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until the chicken toughens up. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and reserve the liquid.

2. Now you get to use your seldom used wok. Hopefully you have seasoned it. If not you can use a large skillet. Heat the oil to medium high heat and cook the chicken for about 3 – 5 minutes until golden brown and the edges are just a tiny bit crispy. Remember to keep it moving so it doesn’t burn. Now add the reserved liquid to the wok and scrape up any fond (little crispy browned bits of chicken) that may have stuck to the bottom. Bring this to a boil then quickly reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced to about a 1/4 cup, about 25 minutes. Add the coconut cream and cook until warm. I served this with stir fried squash, zucchini and green onions.

Serves 4

Source: Chili Cheese Fries.net

This recipe is a mix of old family info and my customization. The traditional Portuguese name for the meat portion is Vinha d’Alhos which is very similar to Pork Adobo but dryer. My version creates more sauce at the end.

Da Pocho Moco: 1 Batch ( you can always double or triple )

Ingredients:

3 lbs Boneless Pork Ribs ( I get the big tray at Costco )

For Sauce & Marinade:

* 1 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
* 3 Cloves of Garlic Rough Chopped
* 6 Hawaiian Chili Peppers Rough Chopped
* 2 Bay Leaves
* 2 Tsp Hawaiian Salt
* 6 Whole Cloves Rough Chopped
* 1/4 Tsp Thyme
* 1/8 Tsp Sage
* 1/4 Cup Aloha Soy Sauce
* 1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
* 1/8 Cup Brown Sugar

For Cooking:

* 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
* Rice ( Usually White & Sticky ) <– don’t have to tell you how to make that
* 1-2 Eggs Fried per person
* Chili Pepper Water ( Strong is best with a little vinegar in it ) or Tobasco

Preparation:

* Chop all your pork into 1.5″ – 2″ cubes
* Mix all ingredients into a large marination bowl
* Mix your pork into the marinade cover and refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours (better if overnight 24hrs) stir it up and rotate meat a couple times during marination
* Once the marinated pork is done put a large Wok or Fry Pot on high heat with your oil
* Remove all pork from the marinade drain all liquid off
* MAKE SURE YOU KEEP ALL LIQUIDS
* Put the pork in the Wok for browning till the outside is crispy. Once the juices and oils start coming out of the meat I usually pour the excess into the marinade holding container to all go back into the final sauce.
* Once brown and crispy pour all the liquids into the Wok, bring to a boil then turn it down to low, cover and let it simmer for a couple hours while mixing around a few times during the simmer
* Meat is done

Assembly:

* In a bowl put how much rice you want
* Put 4-5 chunks of pork on top,
* Fry your eggs up any style you want ( I do mine basted easy ) with some salt and pepper
* Put the eggs on top of the pork
* Ladle out some sauce from the Wok or Pot and pour over the eggs and rice
* Sprinkle on the Chili Pepper Water or Tobasco
* SERVE IT UP HOT & ONO

Submitted By: Tim Fernandes-Parsons

1lb pork loin, cut into chunks
1 head of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable or corn oil
Preparation:

Place the pork in a medium-size pot together with the garlic, soy sauce, pepper and vinegar and let stand for 2 hours. Cook slowly in the same pot until the pork is tender (about 30 minutes). Transfer the pieces of garlic from the pot to the separate pan and fry in hot oil until brown. Add the pork pieces to the garlic and then fry until brown. Drain. Add the broth to the fried pork and garlic and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serves 2-4

Source: Thanks Denise L. (via)

Bring to a boil the chicken together with the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns and simmer for half an hour. Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and broil them in a pan for 10 minutes. Let the sauce in the pot boil until it is reduced by half. Add salt to taste. Cover the broiled chicken pieces with the sauce. Serve hot.

Serves 6

Source: Thanks Denise L. (via)