How to Cook Adobo - Adobo Recipe

How to Cook Adobo

Ingredients

Pork Adobo (Adobong Baboy)

2 lbs/900g pork loin, cut into 2 inch (5.1 cm) cubes
2/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup vinegar
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp crushed black peppercorns
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp sugar, or to taste
steamed white rice (to accompany the adobo, if desired)

Chicken Adobo (Adobong Manok)

2 lbs chicken (drumsticks, thighs, or a whole chicken, cut into serving pieces)
½ c vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 c water
1 tbsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp crushed peppercorns
Salt, to taste
oil, for frying
steamed white rice (to accompany the adobo, if desired)

Squid Adobo (Adobong Pusit)

2 lbs small squid ( about 3” in length)
2 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil for frying

How to make it

Method 1 Pork Adobo (Adobong Baboy)

1 Place all the ingredients in the pot, and mix well.

 Use a 4 ½ qt. cooking pot with a lid and a heavy base.

2 Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. 

Stir occasionally to make sure the meat doesn’t stick to the bottom.

3 Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally. 

Cook for 30-45 minutes, or until there is very little liquid left in the pan.

4 Serve and enjoy!

 Adobo is traditionally served with steamed white rice.

Method 2 Chicken Adobo (Adobong Manok)

1 Place chicken into a 4 ½ qt heavy bottomed cooking pot with a lid.

 Make sure all the chicken pieces are about the same size so they will cook evenly.

2 Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, pepper.

 Mix to combine thoroughly, then cover the pot.

3 Braise the chicken in the covered pot.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until chicken is almost cooked.

4 Remove the chicken, but reserve the sauce.

 Set the sauce aside to be strained, reduced, and poured over the chicken later.

5 Brown the chicken pieces. 

In a large frying pan, heat the oil to medium high. Then, brown the chicken on all sides.

6 Drain any excess oil from the chicken. 

Set the chicken pieces on a plate covered in paper towels.

7 Place the chicken onto your serving dish.

 If you’re in a more casual setting, you can just add the chicken back to the cooking pot after the sauce is ready.

8 Strain the sauce. 

Remove the bay leaves, and the peppercorns if you find them too spicy.

If you want a smoother sauce, strain it with a strainer.

If desired, skim any excess fat from the top with a cold spoon or a fat separator. 

9 Adjust the sauce to your desired thickness, and add salt if desired. 

Remember to add the salt after you reduce the sauce, as it will get saltier from the soy sauce as it boils down.

If you prefer a thinner, less salty sauce, add a little water and reheat.

For a thicker sauce, heat the sauce on medium-high heat until it is reduced to your desired consistency.

Stir occasionally, making sure not to let the sauce burn on the bottom.

10 Combine sauce with the chicken.

 Either pour over the chicken on your serving platter, or put the chicken back into the pot.

11 Serve and enjoy!

 Adobo is traditionally served over steamed rice. Pour a little extra sauce over the rice, if desired.

Method 3 Squid Adobo (Adobong Pusit)

1 Prepare the squid. 

Wash the squid thoroughly and remove the spines and beaks. Cut each squid into 1" pieces, separating the heads from the tentacles.

Do not remove the ink sac, as this will add flavor.

To see how to prepare squid, see this guide. However, since these are very small squid, it's not necessary to cut them up so much.

Frozen squid can be used if fresh squid is not available.

2 Place all the ingredients in the pot. 

Use a 4 ½ qt. cooking pot with a lid and a heavy base.

Mix to combine all the ingredients and coat the squid thoroughly.

Cover the pot, but leave the lid ajar to let some of the steam escape.

3 Cook over medium high heat for 25 minutes. 

Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.

4 Remove from heat, drain the liquid and discard. 

This particular recipe has no sauce to accompany it.

5 Fry the squid for about 10-15 minutes.

 In a large fying pan, preheat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the squid.

Move the squid around the frying pan, pushing on them gently to make sure all the ink sacs are broken.

The squid should be tender, so watch carefully to make sure the squid doesn’t overcook.

6 Serve and enjoy! 

This is usually eaten with steamed white rice.