Filipino recipe
How to make Chicken or pork adobo
All over the Philippines
Often called the unofficial national dish. Chicken or pork is simmered in vinegar, soy sauce, lots of garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns until tender, then sometimes browned in the pan. The vinegar helped the dish keep well in the tropical heat, and it tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, or pork belly cut into 4 cm pieces
- 120 ml cane or white vinegar
- 80 ml soy sauce
- 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 250 ml water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
Method
- Put the meat, soy sauce, half the garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns in a pot and leave for 30 minutes if you have time.
- Add the water and vinegar. Bring to the boil without stirring for the first few minutes, so the sharp smell of the vinegar cooks off.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the meat is tender and cooked through.
- Lift out the meat. Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the rest of the garlic until golden, then brown the meat on all sides.
- Return the meat to the pot, add the sugar if you like, and boil the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens a little. Serve with plenty of steamed rice.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
The name comes from the Spanish word adobar, 'to marinate', but the Filipino way of cooking meat in vinegar is older than Spanish rule.
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