Amazing Adobo

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

ONE ultra all-time favorite dish among Filipinos is adobo - be it chicken, pork or a mixture of the two. It has become almost like a "national" dish to everyone, if I may say so. And that everyone has their own version of preparing and cooking it and I am also pretty sure has a story to share behind this delicious dish.

I remember getting excited every time I go on my yearly vacation in Mambajao, Camiguin during summer when I got to visit my maternal grandma. And since there were no electricity then, it was a "regular" dish that they would prepare. Meat like pork and beef were bought in the market once a week, during early Sundays, right after the Holy Mass. And one has to be early to get the best part, because of limited availability.

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Once home, the pork is washed thoroughly, marinated and left for a few hours before it is then simmered slowly in a big "bandehado" in the "dirty" kitchen using chopped woods to perfection! Oh! The sweet and fragrant combination of the aroma of garlic, bay leaf, soy sauce and vinegar would fill the air. It was just heavenly.

And while the adobo is cooking, the rice is also being prepared and the table set. We used to have this large wooden table with long wooden slab chairs where we get to sit side by side with my brothers and sisters. My grandma would sit at one end of the long table, while my mom would sit near her. The rest of us would sit near where the cooked dishes are placed. Need I explain the reason?

We have that screened wooden cabinet where foods are stored after they're cooked (if it was done early) or the leftover, which we will be having later or the day after. And I can always vividly recall when the adobo is reheated, which makes it more "sticky" and delicious if done many times. And toward the last few "fat & skin" that is left, my mom would slice them and use them for another delectable dish, pancit bihon!

It was a dish that I would always look forward too. Not because it tastes well alone but it tastes a lot better when paired with eggs - scrambled or sunny side-up! And because there were no refrigerators to keep dishes that would spoil easily, adobo is always "it"! Well, other favorites I can recall would include "Humba" and "Inun-unan". But that is another story.

It wasn't after I became enticed in the culinary world that I learn to do the adobo - my way. I know I love to pan-fry my meat pieces after marinating them for a few hours. That is to keep the "juices" sealed in. I would use a head of crushed garlic, with lots of peppercorn & black pepper ( I like it spicy!) and brown sugar (that caramelizes as it is cooked, leaving very little thickened sauce and lots of oil (which I used to cook fried rice in before), aside from the other ingredients like bay leaf, soy sauce and vinegar. Cholesterol here I come!

I would simmer it slowly to really cook and soften the meat pieces so that it will just fall off from its bone and when its eaten would practically "melt" in your mouth. Served as it is or top it over warm steamed rice, it is a dish I am sure everyone will enjoy. Lately, because of "fusion" and the changing scenario in food, it is also shredded and used as "adobo flakes" (over rice, etc.), used as a siopao or meat roll filling, but I do know I would also love this on my pasta!

Below, I am sharing my version of my chicken adobo recipe.

CHICKEN ADOBO
1 kilo chicken legs or thighs, cut into pieces
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp black peppercorn
2 tablespoons Marca Leon Corn Oil
8 cloves garlic, crushed
4 pcs bay leaves

Come and join the fun... cook some adobo today for your friends and family! They will surely love you as well as the adobo!

Happy cooking!

(Email: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com; Website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com)