adobo

Where can I possibly begin with Filipino chicken Adobo without offending anyone. Well, let's see... vinegar seems important. Other than that, you're on your own! Just about everyone I spoke to and every web site I consulted used a different list of ingredients. Some used pork, others chicken. Soy sauce is also a standard ingredient, but historically salt or fermented fish paste were more likely to be used (the Chinese brought soy sauce at some point). Some like it spicy, others sweet. The bottom line is that this is a dish made in just about every home on many of the Philippines' 7,000+ islands, and every cook has a slightly different take on the recipe. This sounds very much like pot au feu in France or apple pie in the US (minus the part about the islands).



Of course this makes cooking Adobo somewhat liberating, especially since I've never actually eaten Adobo before. No expectations or preconceptions to weigh me down. I'd read about my friend Lan's version on her blog, and the article from the New York Times on Adobo had some good insights. I could almost imagine what Adobo would taste like, but I wasn't restricted to any specific recipe.


One thing that caught my attention was the use of Coconut Sap Vinegar in a couple recipes I found. Since my my grocery store has an entire isle of Filipino products, this was actually quite easy to find - and rather inexpensive. Coconut Sap Vinegar, is exactly what it sounds like: fermented sap (not coconut water or milk) from the coconut tree. It's rather pungent, and is supposed to have a slight hint of coconut. I mostly just taste vinegar - similar to white wine vinegar (a good substitute). In the end it just seemed like a good excuse to try a new ingredient.


So the basic recipe goes something like this: Brown the chicken (dark meat please!), add your braising liquid and aromatics (vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, black pepper, garlic), and simmer until the chicken is tender ~ 45 minutes. The variations in the recipe come from the ratio of vinegar to soy sauce (I used 2:1) and the aromatics (I used star anise and cinnamon in addition to the ingredients listed above). As for the cooking technique, I essentially followed these directions for perfectly crisp skin - even after a 45minute braise.



The last thing that caught my attention was the use of bay leaves. The Californian and Mediterranean bay leaf commonly found in the US seemed like a weird ingredient to have in a Filipino dish. Wikipedia to the rescue! In fact, there are several types of bay leaves, including the Indonesian and Indian bay leaves, that have a mild cinnamon flavor. My guess, though I have not confirmed this anywhere, is that these are the types of bay leaves commonly found in the Philippines and used for Adobo. Of course, it's also entirely possible that the Spanish brought the Mediterranean bay leaf to the islands, in which case, regular bay leaves would work just fine. If someone could confirm what is typically available in the Philippines, I would greatly appreciate it! Anyway, as I mentioned I ended up adding a small piece of cinnamon bark to my Adobo, in an effort to approximate the taste of an Indian bay leaf. Probably not authentic, but this is my version! I served the chicken with rice and stir fried cabbage & peppers. Not pictured: a big bowl of the sauce we spooned all over our plates :)