Adobong "puti"

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Simple, flavorful, and straightforward.

These words best describe this dish. 

Each and every adobo is unique and varies from every household, neighbor, neighborhood, town, city, region... you get it. I guess if there's one thing that our ancestors have passed down to us that is still alive to this day, it's an adobo recipe. Filipinos aren't the only ones who love adobo, but apparently, the whole world is slowly becoming open to it.

A quick search on the net about adobo would tell you that the word  was derived from the Spanish's adobar, which means "to  marinate",   and I guess adobo is what keeps places that have been  under Spanish occupation connected where the dish has evolved  and persisted throughout the generations. Adobo, indeed, has a vast  history but so is our tummy!

Ingredients:
  • Garlic, amount depends on what your heart desires and what your ancestors whisper in your ear
  • Vinegar, I love how (native) coconut vinegar gives the dish such life and a beautiful boost of flavorful acidity
  • Salt, but I used fish sauce in this dish as it gives the dish a different level of deliciousness and umami
  • Brown sugar, a little bit goes a long way and it's presence is enough to give balance to the dish
  • Pork, liempo or kasim, a balance of fat and lean meat that makes for a good lip-smacking goodness. Though, other proteins may be utilized too
  • Bay leaves
  • Whole black peppercorns
  • (optional) atsuete, to give it a vibrant color
Procedure:
  1. In a pan or a pot, saute garlic until fragrant, but not burned. Add in pork and continue to saute, rendering the fat out of the meat. Continue to saute and brown the pork, adding a bit of braising liquid (stock) or water to help tenderize it. Repeat the process of adding in water until desired tenderness is achieved. Dry it out and continue to saute in its fat.
  2. When the pork has achieved desired tenderness, add in the rest of the ingredients - more garlic (crushed, with peels), bay leaves, whole pepper corns, atsuete oil, and vinegar. Let simmer for about 5-8 minutes. Add in fish sauce and brown sugar to taste.
  3. Serve with heaps of steamed rice and a bottle of soda.

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