To season.
If you were to ask me what my favorite dish is, I’d answer back —
“Adobo is my favorite”.
Particularly my Inay’s, Mommy’s, and Mama’s versions of Adobos — as each of them has their own unique specialties that make the dish distinct
If you know the movie Ratatouille, you would know that there’s a scene towards the end of the movie where Anton Ego tastes the dish, Ratatouille. Once he takes a bite of that Ratatouille he is instantly brought back to his childhood. It had the same taste, Ratatouille was his comfort dish.
My point is I wish to experience that feeling of nostalgia with food. Specifically with my late Inay’s special Adobo. Her Adobo possessed a unique quality that no one else in our family has been able to replicate. It was dry, but not too dry–moist, but it was never too wet. Since her passing, I have been yearning for her Adobo. It remains one of the cherished memories I hold of my Inay.
Adobo for days
Before the invention of refrigerators, Filipinos relied on cooking techniques that made food last. Adobo became one of those dishes known for its longevity. This is mainly because of one essential ingredient — vinegar.
Acting as a natural preservative, vinegar prevents the dish from spoiling easily, even under the Philippines’ hot climate. When it comes to longevity, Adobo and your family’s New Years Eve’s Spaghetti would probably be battling each other.
AdobORIGINS
For additional context, there are two types of Adobo; the Philippine Adobo and the Spanish Adobo. Although they share the same name, they differ greatly in preparation, flavor, and cultural background.
There has long been a discussion about whether Adobo is authentically a Filipino dish or a product of influence brought by Spaniards during the colonization in the 16th century. But history shows that Philippine Adobo existed long before Spanish contact.
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To further understand, let’s discuss how Adobo came to be.
Filipinos before have already used cooking techniques such as putting vinegar and salt in dishes to prevent it from spoiling quickly under the hot climate. The term Adobo was introduced by the Spaniards, with its root word being adobar — which meant “to marinate” or “to season”. The Spanish colonizers used it to describe the cooking methods of the Filipinos. Hence, the name was only coined by the Spaniards, but the dish itself — the techniques, the flavors — are by indigenous Filipinos.
There are many variations of Adobo. My Mama, for instance, adds coconut milk for creaminess.
My Mommy prefers adding boiled eggs.
And lastly, but certainly not the least, as mentioned before, my Inay’s Adobo is perfectly balanced.
While other recipes use chicken liver as their meat for their Adobong Atay.
Ultimately, the choice depends on one’s preference — but the most common and traditional versions are Pork Adobo and Chicken Adobo.
Chicken Adobo / Pork Adobo
For Chicken Adobo, you’ll need one kilogram of chicken, one bulb of garlic, an onion, three bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, one-fourth cup of soy sauce, two tablespoons of vinegar, and two tablespoons of cooking oil. You can also add sugar if you want a taste of sweetness in your Adobo.
To start cooking, crush the garlic and chop the onions. Sauté both ingredients in the pan until fragrant. Add the chicken and sear until it’s golden brown. Pour in the liquids: soy sauce, vinegar, and water. Then sprinkle in the salt, peppercorn, and bay leaves. If you’re looking for a sweet taste, add sugar. Let the dish simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and the sauce thickens.
For Pork Adobo, there’s not much of a difference with the ingredients except substituting pork belly for chicken. It too has the same cooking procedure. Because of Adobo’s versatility, you can change the recipe according to your taste buds’ wants, make it your own!
Adobo is, no doubt, one of the iconic, remarkable, and timeless comfort foods in the Philippines. More than just food, it connects us to memories that we once lived in our life.
