If I didn’t check it out and research a bit on the country’s national dish (which is lechon), I would certainly say that it’s adobo right away. So let’s just say it is the best-known Filipino dish. What more is there to say about it? Well, I just wanna add that it was something I envy every time I had fried galunggong (or mackerel scad) for binalot and my classmate seating beside me had adobo. For a 6-7 year old kid, galunggong wasn’t something I really liked back then.

Mom’s chicken adobo is dry. She lets the sauce dries up and fries the chicken w/ more soy sauce. I love it. It’s really good paired with plain rice. But what I usually prepare now is something different. It’s a combination of mom’s adobo ala-eh style and what I encountered during my overnight stays on friends’ homes during my college days. Oh my near-bohemian archi student days. Some of my friends’ moms cook it with thick sauce and potatoes. And oh by the way, 2 non-Pinoy friends of ours – a local Chinese MA student and a Singaporean Spa Owner/Consultant, love our Philippine adobo.

Ingredients:
6 pieces chicken wings (upper part only)
1 small bowl of pork (w/ fat), cut into chunks
2 tbsp crushed garlic
1 medium-sized potato, cut into chunks
salt and peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup vinegar
soy sauce

Add the pork to a casserole of boiling water (about 4-5 cups of water). Cook slowly for about 15 minutes then add the salt, peppercorns, soy sauce and vinegar. Don’t stir until the water boils again (dad’s tip so that it won’t be too sour). Add the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are done. Set them aside. Continue cooking until the pork is almost tender, and then add the chicken. Simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes until the meat is tender and there’s about a cup of sauce left. Remove the sauce and reserve.

Put a 1-2 tbsp of oil in the casserole and brown both pork and chicken over medium heat until the pork renders fat. Drain oil from the casserole and add the reserved sauce and potatoes. Stir for a minute over medium heat. Serve with plain rice.

Related Article:
How to Cook Adobo? Lemme Count the Ways…
Filipino Adobo

CANNIBAL, n. A gastronome of the old school who preserves the simple tastes and adheres to the natural diet of the pre-pork period. – Ambrose Bierce (American Writer, Journalist and Editor, 1842-1914)

Iska

I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.