On Lily's Dinner Table: Filipino Pork Adobo

When I first moved to my current state, it seemed that I was the first and only Filipino person many of the natives had ever seen. People had heard of Filipinos. But they’d never actually seen one. Where I live now, brown skin, black hair, and slightly odd shaped eyes didn’t translate into Asian. In fact, the most common thing I ever heard was, “What exactly are you?”

By happy consequence, my social circle’s lack of Filipino knowledge worked to my advantage. I could mumble in a foreign language when telling someone how I really felt just wasn’t tactful enough. If I didn’t really feel like going into the long explanation as to what I was, I could just smile and agree with whatever assessment a stranger made on my ethnicity. But by far, the best advantage of being wheat bread in a white bread world was the fact that I could cook.

Everyone loves food. And for those adventurous who asked me to feed them, I cooked what traditional food I could with limited supplies. At the time, Asian groceries weren’t exactly plentiful being the only Filipino-American for 20-square miles. But that didn’t stop the adoring food public from asking me to make “something Filipino-ish” for potlucks and dinner parties.

The one I keep getting asked for the most is my Pork Adobo. Now, don’t get this confused with the Spanish adobo. That, my culinary friends, is a seasoning. Filipino adobo, along with some white rice, is a meal. It’s the national comfort food of the Philippines. Anyone who’s ever been even NEAR a pot of the stuff is bound to remember the smell. In fact while researching some stuff for tonight’s entry, I came across a fabulous blog entry on “The Wily Filipino” about my people’s love affair with the stuff (http://www.thewilyfilipino.com/blog/archives/000461.html).

I get a lot of “oh” and “ah” when I make this dish. I always chuckle because from preparation to finish, it takes all of 1 hour, 15 minutes. But there is no denying that it’s pretty darn tasty.

In the interest of spreading the joy of Filipino food throughout the world, here’s my own personal recipe for Pork Adobo. You will note there are no measurements, so excuse my haphazard writing. In the grand art of traditional Filipino cooking, my Grandmothers never used a measuring utensil when they taught me. We do it all by taste. And, this would be the first time that I’ve ever committed this recipe to media. Most of them are just in my head.

So, here it is…a simple meal recipe that hopefully will have you saying masarap.

Lily’s Pork Adobo

Ingredients:
Boneless Country Style Pork Shoulder (Amount dependent on how many you wish to feed)
Low Sodium Soy Sauce
Distilled White Vinegar
Water
Cloves of garlic (Amount dependent on garlic preference)
Black Pepper (whole or powder)
Bay leaves (optional)
Onions (optional)

1. Cut pork shoulder into smaller pieces, no less than 2-inch cubes. Place cut pieces into the pot you are going to cook them in.
2. Pour into the pot equal parts of soy sauce, water, and vinegar. You can adjust the amounts for flavor. Make sure there is enough liquid to cover the pork. The brine should be a dark brown color.
3. Crush cloves of garlic and add to the mixture. Add black pepper to taste. Add bay leaves.
4. Stir the contents so that the brine is evenly distributed. Cook on the stove on medium high to high heat for 45-minutes to an hour, or until the pork is tender. Stir occasionally, keeping an eye on the level of the liquid in the pot (add more water, vinegar, or soy as needed). DON’T LET ALL THE BRINE BOIL AWAY!
5. Just as you are nearing the end of cooking time, add sliced onions to the pot and let it simmer for the rest of the time. Serve warm with white rice.

Notes: You should have a little of the brine left after the cooking time. This recipe also works with chicken (thighs, wings, and legs are best). Just adjust the cooking time. If you want to use pork, but don’t like all the fat, take the time to trim any excess fat off the pork shoulder pieces. However, make sure you leave a little on there to enhance the flavor of the brine.