Topic: Cooking Adobo
Adobo is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine. It refers to a
method of marinating and stewing for any cut of meat or fish in a briny mixture of vinegar, soy
sauce, and spices, browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.
Filipino natives developed various methods of preserving food. Adobo utilizes the acid in
the vinegar and the high salt content of soy sauce to produce an undesirable environment for
bacteria. Its delicious flavor and preserving qualities served to increase adobo's popularity. It has
been called the quintessential Philippine stew, served with rice both at daily meals and at
feasts. It is commonly packed for Filipino mountaineers and travelers because it keeps well
without refrigeration. Its relatively long shelf-life is due to one of its primary
ingredients, vinegar, which inhibits the growth of bacteria.
The meat is marinated in this mixture overnight, then simmered in the same marinade on
the stove top until the meat is cooked through. A signature of the cooking method is that after the
chicken or pork is simmered to perfection in the sauce, it is usually browned in oil before
serving. The adobo cooking technique is thought to have originated during pre-refrigeration
times, to preserve meat by cooking it in vinegar and salt. Adobo is usually served over a bed of
fluffy rice to absorb the deliciously tangy sauce.
Preparing the Ingredients
Chop pork into bite-sized pieces. Slice the onion in half lengthwise, then peel it. Peel four
cloves of garlic then chop the cloves into small pieces. Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic,
pepper, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Cooking Pork Adobo
Pour the oil into a large pot over medium heat. Remove chicken from the marinade and
pat each dry with a paper towel. Save the marinade. Place chicken in bottom of pot and cook
until one side of the chicken is browned. Flip over and brown. Repeat until all the chicken is
cooked.
Put all the pork back in the pot along with the marinade, potatoes, carrots and ¾ cup of
water. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil and then decrease heat to a low simmer. Cook until
meat is tender (about 45 min).
While the meat is cooking, pour enough amount of sugar with 4 cups of water and salt.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until water is gone (about 20 min). Brown the
chicken or pork on all sides. This will take 10-20 minutes. Use medium heat to brown the meat
but turn the heat higher if the meat is cooking very slowly.
Serving the Dish
Remove the cooked pork adobo from the pot. Put in a plate the serve over rice. You can
use a rice cooker to prepare 2-3 cups of brown or white rice, depending on how many people you
are feeding.
III. Conclusion
Adobo is well-loved by Filipinos; the dish also makes use of many of our local
ingredients giving adobo the distinct Filipino flavor. The pure cane vinegar for the adobo’s rich
sour taste and to the locally produced soy sauce for its savory and salty feel. Therefore, there is
no other Filipino dish that can compete with adobo in terms of versatility and variety. Mixing
vinegar, soy sauce and spices with either chicken, pork, fish, kangkong, or sitaw would yield to
different varieties of the famous Filipino dish. For the first thing most Filipinos who have been
abroad request when they come home is adobo. The flavor of this exquisite cuisine will certainly
be liked by anyone who has tasted it the first time. The spicy flavor of the tenderized pork is so
irresistible, and the aroma will soothe through the sense of smell and tease through taste buds.
Most of the foreigners who visit the Philippines prefer to eat it just as it is because of its taste. In
fact, most of the visitors in the country look for such a great cuisine while enjoying their
Philippine vacation.
https://www.foodandwine.com/seasonings/what-is-adobo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_adobo
https://www.thespruceeats.com/filipino-adobo-1328775
