Adobo, anyone?

[HappyAvocado]

well, i am part filipino by way of marriage, if you know what i mean and some time back i set out to learn how to cook all of my hubby's favorite filipino dishes. Adobo was something that he ate once a week as a child. I got his mother's recipe and i make my own version of it ( he calls it california adobo, because i use boneless skinless chicken instead whole pieces with fat attached as is used in most filipino dishes). but in learning how to cook adobo, i discovered that there are about a million different versions of this dish throughout the phillipines, some with less sauce, some with more, some with more vinegar, some baked, some stewed... i'll share mine, but i was hoping that some other folks might have some adobo style dishes to share.

my "california adobo" is pretty simple:

chicken pieces (i use boneless skinless breasts)
white vinegar
reduced sodium soy ( i use tamari because i think regular soy is a bit overpowering)
garlic, about twenty cloves
two bay leaves
black pepper
chicken stock

brown the chicken pieces and garlic in a pot. add, depending on the amount of chicken, equal parts soy and vinegar... for four breasts i usually use about 3/4 of a cup of each. add freshly ground black pepper and bay leaves and enough broth to almost cover the chicken. cook covered on low heat for about 20 minutes, then turn up the fire and remove the lid... cook until the sauce thickens a little bit, about four minutes, and serve over rice. this is not a dry adobo, you should have quite a bit of sauce left in the pot for your rice.

 

[Lugaru]

I was looking at the recipy before cheking out the text and my first thought was "HEY, THIS IS PHILIPINO ADOBO!". A friend of mine is from the philipines and she was constantly making this. Thanks for sharing the recipy with us!

 

[Caine]

I have explored Pilipino cuisine thoroughly, and the biggest difference I have seen with adobo is some fry the chicken first, then simmer it in the vinegar mixture, while others simmer it in the vinegar mixture first, then fry it. I am from the first school.

CHICKEN & PORK ADOBO​

3 cups water
2 cup distilled white or rice wine vinegar
4 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp whole peppercorns
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound chicken pieces, legs and thighs
1 pound pork pieces (or replace with another pound of chicken)
2 tablespoons peanut oil

Brown chicken and pork pieces in oil in a deep saute pan, then remove to paper towels. Cook onions in saute pan until soft and translucent, then add garic, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until onions are browned slightly.

Add water, vinegar, and soy sauce and heat to boiling. Add chicken and pork, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced to a thick sauce, turning chicken and pork occasionally. Place chicken and pork on serving platter and pour sauce over top.

 

[Chopstix]

This dish was a family staple. I only like Pork Adobo, not chicken. I use lean pork belly cut into large cubes with skin on. Cover pot and simmer pork in some water for thirty minutes to soften. Remove stock and defat. Drain pork until dry. Meanwhile, saute lots of crushed garlic. Add the boiled pork to brown. Add equal parts soy sauce, vinegar, and ground black pepper. Then add back stock. Simmer until sauce is thick.

 

[HappyAvocado]

caine, that sounds great! i have made pork adobo, and i have made chicken, but i have never made pork and chicken adobo together. ill have to try that sometime.

chopstix, your recipe sounds very similair to my MIL's recipe, the one that adapted mine from. she uses pork belly, too and it is fabulous.

 

[jennyema]

YUM!

Thanks for the recipes. They'll be on the menu soon.

Stix -- what dont you like chicken adobo? Just eprsonal preference or is there another reason?

 

[Chopstix]

Hi Jennyema,


It's personal preference. I find that when I eat Pork & Chicken Adobo, I would only eat the pork pieces. It's just tastier than the chicken. So when I make my own, I make it all Pork

 

[jennyema]

TNX. Just wanted to know if you thought the recipe worked better for sme reason with .


I'll probably start with because I usually like it more than