Adobo Recipe

Every Pinoy household has its own version of adobo. In a household there could even be multiple versions of it if family members likes to cook. In our family, all five of us cook. There are also different types of 'adobo'. I personally think that this dish is more of a 'way of cooking's rather than just a viand. This is cooking until tender that involves soy sauce and vinegar, with spices of course. You can make this dish using meat, fish, and sometimes with vegetables. There's (1) adobo sa gata - coconut milk involved (2) adobo sa suka - pale version with just using salt & vinegar (3) adobo sa toyo - the generic one using soy sauce and vinegar, and (4 to infinity) in other regions, who knows how many else there are.

I will be sharing with you how I cook my adobo using pork belly (liempo as we call it). Below are the ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Pork belly cut into cubes or bite size (whichever you prefer)

• Soy sauce

• Vinegar

• Black pepper

• Brown sugar

• Garlic (minced)

• Onion (red and/or white) rings

Prepare all the ingredients. In a pan, boil the pork belly with about a cup of water for about 3 minutes, mixing it 2-3 times. Discard the water (to remove the gunk) then add another 2 cups of water to the meat. Cover the pan and let it boil under medium heat until the meat is tender according to your preference. If the meat is still tough, feel free to add water. When the liquid is reduced to approximately half of its volume, dump in the minced garlic. Let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Add about 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoon of vinegar, and about half a teaspoon of black pepper. Mix it and cover the pan. After a few minutes, you will hear popping sounds. That's the signal that the meat is cooking in its own fat. Mix it again. Remember to turn the heat down every time you are mixing it. Check to see if you prefer it with more sauce. Feel free to add some more water little by little. Be sure to taste it every time you are adding soy sauce and water. When you see that you already have the amount of non-viscous sauce in your adobo, add a tablespoon of brown sugar. Taste it again and adjust according to your liking. Mix it again and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion rings. Mix it again and cover the pan.

Tip: you can use a pressure cooker after removing the gunk to hasten the softening of the meat. When the meat is cooked, you can set aside the water you used for later use. Then sauté the meat with the garlic and black pepper. After that, you can put the soy sauce, vinegar, and some of the stock you set aside. Simmer, dumping in the onion rings at the last minute.

This is best served with toasted garlic on top and some chopped leeks or spring onion. Pair this with steamed rice or with fried rice tossed in chili garlic oil. Be sure to cook more rice than you usually do because I can guarantee you that a cup of rice is not enough.