Adobo…
- 1.25lbs Chunks of pork (or chicken pieces)
- 1/2 cup Vinegar (I use Datu Puti)
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce (I use low sodium)
- Crushed/chopped garlic (A LOT)
- Fresh cracked peppercorns
- 3 Bay leafs
Directions:
- Add all ingredients into pot. Do not stir.
- Cook on medium until boiling.
- Lower heat, cover & let simmer ’til done.
- If you like it “wet”, make sure to not simmer away all the liquid. If you like it “more malutong”, simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and then if necessary, add more oil (I use olive for most types of cooking unless I’m actually deep frying).
Serve with white rice.
Still to come…Uncle Manny’s adobo wrapped in banana leaves for inihaw!
Mag Luto Tayo! 
Dad (Uncle Manny) recently taught me the magic of the banana leaves.
Unfortunately, we don’t have banana trees outside our windows like the motherland, but we do have Filipino grocery stores nearby that sell them frozen.
In our house, we always used Japanese rice (Kohuko is my favorite), instead of Jasmine, so I prefer that with this and most of our recipes.
Using the more malutong version of this adobo (as described above), mix with the cooked rice.
Cut the defrosted banana leaves into squares, maybe about 12-14″, and rinse well.
Heat the banana leaves over the open fire (on the stove) slowly – ie. left to right – until you see a little steaming – your nose will tell you when they’re ready – that wonderful smell of fresh banana leaves…
Then, scoop your rice & adobo mixture into the center of your leaves and wrap. You can tie them with strings if you like, or just lean them against each other so they don’t open.
Refrigerate for a little bit.
The wraps can now be warmed in the microwave for a minute or two, or over an open grill for a barbeque.
Dad used to pack this for picnics in a cooler, with a warmer of Kare-Kare or sometimes Mongo. The banana leaves served as our ‘plates’.
Oh, yum!
Thank you for the directions on how to do the banana leaf adobo!
Was craving this as I was coming in to work this morning, and considering preparing for dinner tonight (if the young brother, Anthony, wants to join us for dinner!)
Chicken Adobo with Gata (coconut milk)
I always loved this dish growing up, and have tried several variations.
Typically, I use a combination of chicken parts (on the bone); chicken thighs and chicken breast, and follow the recipe above until malutong (I typically double the liquid portion of the recipe, and after the meat is cooked, set aside about a cup of the sauce for later). Chicken is a little different than pork, though, because in order to get the ‘fall of the bone’ effect, you have to cook a little longer on lower to medium heat. After the remaining liquid has evaporataed, and the chicken is cooked through and a little toastado, I add back the liquid with a can or two of coconut milk. I’ve tried several types of coconut milk with this dish, and have found that Thai coconut milk (even the Lite version) works best. Be sure to taste the coconut milk (for freshness) before adding to the dish, as a bad can of coconut milk can ruin the entire meal! I usually serve with simple garlic sauteed green beans and sininaag.
Without a toddler wrapping her arms around my legs as I cook on a hot stove, this would be a pretty simple meal to prepare. But as a working Mom with too many other things I’d rather be doing (like giving my little Skye 100 kisses a day), I am constantly on the search for the easiest, least-mess way to prepare a meal.
Enter the crock pot.
I’ve found all sorts of interesting uses for the crock pot – sinigang, apritada, and now adobo chicken with gata. For this version, I follow all of above (ie. doubling the liquids in Pinky’s original recipe, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, but without the coconut milk) and allow to cook in the crockpot for a few hours (I usually do this in the early morning before heading to work). I skip the part of setting aside the adobo liquid for later (and sacrifice the tostado pieces of chicken – which, for this recipe, is actually okay, since the ultimate result is a saucier meal). Right before serving, I add the coconut milk, and a few scoops of cooked japanese rice.
Thanks, Angela! I will add this today to the blog.
Is your Dad familiar with any santol recipes?
Ange – could you also contribute your version of sininaag so I can add that too?
Hi Pinkyb!
This looks really yummy!
I’m compiling a list of all the different ways to cook adobo in a quest to find what a true filipino adobo is today, and I’m happy to include your adobo recipe in my article at http://kumain.com/1001-adobo-recipes/. I hope you don’t mind the link from my site to yours =)
Keep in touch!
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