Cooking Log # 001: Chicken and Pork Adobo

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork cut in cubes
1/2 kilo chicken
1 head garlic, minced
1/2 small ginger
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
5 laurel leaves (bay leaves)
5 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups of water

Cooking Instructions:

1. Marinate the meat with black pepper and some salt before chopping the garlic, onions and ginger;

2. Sauté the minced garlic, onions and ginger with 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a big wok;

3. Add the meat and stir for 1 to 2 minutes;

4. In a separate sauce pan, boil the meat with 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1 cup of vinegar, paprika and the crushed laurel leaves. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or when meat is tender;

5. Remove the meat and put it back to the wok. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meat for two minutes or less;

6. Mix the browned meat back to the sauce pan and add cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken;

7. Simmer for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Optionally, add two boiled eggs; and

8. Serve hot with rice.

Notes:

I think it matters when it comes to soy sauce and vinegar choices. So if you don’t feel like experimenting, always stick to your brands. As for this particular attempt, I used Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce and Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar.

For reference, I got the idea from filipinofoodrecipes.com. Updates include ginger being required, not optional, plus a little adjustment with the amount of olive oil (I used extra virgin). It’s also good to note that while boiling, maintain the fire in low heat. My adobo ended up a bit dryer than expected.

When I first came upon the recipe (the website is easy to find, just Google "adobo recipe" and you'll get it) and started sharing to a select few about the ingredients and how it is going to be prepared, I received some scratches on the head kind of reaction. They asked "Why ginger?" or "Why does it have to be so rigorous?", questions that made me more determined to finish the thing. Biased but the final product is rewarding. Maybe that's the lesson behind the adobo experience. We usually put it in a box because it is too common and that it is easy to prepare. Possibilities just keep on showing up.