C6 BENCAB’S GRILLED ADOBO AND OTHER UNIQUE VERSIONS
and simmered to a low boil. Some garlic powder is added; fish sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chopped ripe mango cheeks are added last, continuing simmering until the sauce slightly thickens. At home, Keesa always pairs this with jasmine rice and Brussels sprouts sautéed in butter. (Photo by Keesa Ocampo) 4 Chef Dean Patrick Ramirez, owner of the Lone Crow in Union City, California: “Adobo is a dish that is all too familiar to me. I grew up eating it weekly, which was cooked by my mom. It made me feel complete and at home, as it is a dish that brings comfort to my soul.
I was able to taste different versions of adobo; from my mom’s version to my aunts’, everyone had a unique spin on it. Because it is one of my favorite dishes in the Filipino culture, I wanted to experiment and create my own version of it. By using my skills from culinary school, experiences of working in different restaurants, and a very strong palate for flavor, I was able to create an adobo dish of my own that brought the same feeling of comfort and hominess to my own family and household.
“For my adobo, I use all chicken thighs. Season first with salt and pepper, then pan-sear until brown. Set aside. Using same pan, sauté lots of cubed onions and minced garlic until translucent. Add dried Thai chili, peppercorns and bay leaves, sauté (heating the spices will bring out the flavor and aromatics). Add your liquids (soy sauce, vinegar, water) after a few minutes and wait till it boils. When boiling, lower heat back down and add eggs to boil for 7 minutes. Transfer the eggs to ice water to stop the cooking and peel. Add the chicken back in and cook for 15 minutes then add the potatoes and peeled boiled eggs. Continue simmering for another 15 minutes. Cool down. Garnish with fried garlic and scallions when serving.
Get the full recipe @deanpatrickramirez @the.lone.crow TheloneCrow. com. (Photo by Dean Patrick Ramirez) 5 Adobo Filipino con sofrito: During my last visit to Restaurante Sobrino de Botin in Madrid, in November 2021, its maestro asador (chief roaster), my kabalen Michael Alim, shared this about the Spanish adobo: “Although we don’t serve any adobado or marinated meats in Botin, we do have it in our weekly staff meal schedule, like cinta de lomo adobado (pork loin), cerdo adobado (pork), chuletas adobada (pork chops), etc. These are all marinated meats ready for grilling, frying, or filling for empanadas.”
It seems that the adobados or marinated meats don’t take center stage in Spanish restaurants, or, at least shyly remain on the sidelines as go-to comfort food for the kitchen staff and the home cook, lest it be compared to the customer’s adobado de su mamá, quizas?
Michael said that Pinoy adobo is always on their home menu. But the truth is, he hastened to add, that his brother Ruel, sister-in-law, mom and he each have a different style of cooking adobo. Mom’s is somewhat sweet just like humba, since she’s Visayan. His brother Ruel, also a maestro asador in Botin, puts ginger in his, a bit spicy and with sauce. His wife’s is adobo sa puti. Michael likes his adobo a bit oily, spicy-hot, sweetish and with banana blossom. He marinates it first with vinegar, soy sauce and black pepper. It is then braised until its fat is rendered then the marinade and some water is finally added to simmer it until tender and liquid has almost evaporated.
He’s cooked pork adobo for the restaurant’s staff meal but they don’t like soy sauce, he said. Basically, it’s an adobo sa puti, with paprika and sofrito added to it, un sabor that every Spaniard can relate to. (Photo by Claude Tayag)