Adobo

There's a lot more to adobo than meets the eye!

If there's one Filipino dish that I am truly greatful for, it's the adobo. And I could say this, without batting my eyelashes: "I can eat adobo for one whole month!" In fact, everytime I am at my parents' house, I prefered nothing else but adobo. So my mother would cook a bunchful of it, to last the whole weekend.

Adobo is typically made of pork or chicken or a combination of both (like the photo above). The meat is slowly cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and black pepper. This dish can be cooked in two ways, dried (patuyo) or saucy (masabaw). Personally I prefered the dried style wherein the meat is often browned in the pan to get the desireable crisped edges.

History says that adobo originates from the northern region of the Philippines. It's one of the first dishes that Filipinos learn to cook because it's simple and easy to do. What makes it delicious though is the delicate balance of all the ingredients. There could be slight differences in the amount of spices, but personally I really like it with loads of garlic.

Being the most popular and distinguished among all Filipino cuisines, adobo has entered the pop scene as well. There's a movie called American Adobo. Filipino sitcom performers are called adobos. Balck Eyed Peas' apl.de.ap mentioned adobo in his song Bebot. Most Filipino snacks are adobo-flavored (can't miss Boy Bawang, anywhere can you?). There was even a Japanese-based company that made adobo flavored instant stir-fry noodles.

Adobo is definitely good with steamed, sticky rice. Is also good with sandwhiches. But the best of all is adobo for breakfast with salted egg, tomatoes, and garlic rice. God, now I am really hungry!