Adora's Box: ADOBO RICE

Saturday, 2 April 2011

ADOBO RICE

Adobo is the legendary Filipino dish that is as much Filipino as the people themselves. We Filipinos eat it at least once a week. As time wears on, the popularity doesn't waver but does quite the opposite. On bread, wraps, salads, they are equally good. There will be more new ways to eat adobo in the future, I'm sure.

The much beloved quintessential Filipino dish, adobo, is again given a rehash here. There could probably be a thousand and one ways to do it but I choose to do it the way I like to eat it.

I am quite conservative with cooking and eating adobo. I like it, the old fashioned way: on top of rice, of course. But I also like sprinkles on it: parsley and spring onions for freshness, chicharon (crispy pork rinds) for crunch and a different level of porkiness, fried garlic and chiu chow chilli oil for that definite and exciting kick. Served with tomato salsa and fried egg, I couldn't ask for more. This is not your old adobo with rice. All the components combine into one cohesive tasty rice dish. Do give it a try.

Yield:

6-8 servings

Ingredients for ADOBO:

1 kg. of skinless pork shoulder meat, trim off fat and cut into 2"x2" cubes

3 clove of garlic, crushed

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. light soy sauce

2 tbsps. brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 c. water

cooked rice for serving with the adobo

Method:

Put all the ingredients, except for the water and sugar, in a heavy pan or pot with lid. Mix well and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil and simmer on low heat for an hour or until the meat is fork tender. Take the meat out of the sauce.

In a dry , clean pan caramelize the brown sugar. Add the meat and stir until the meat is browned and glazed with the sugar. Add the sauce and simmer on medium heat until the sauce is reduced.

Sprinkles:

chicharon (crispy pork rinds), diced
chopped parsley
chopped spring onions (green parts only)
fried garlic
chiu chow chilli oil or chilli oil with prawns

Salsa:

Mix diced tomatoes, chopped shallots and thinly sliced radish together. season with salt sugar and a dash of vinegar.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Fill a small bowl with cooked rice, press firmly then unmold on a plate. Slice the adobo meat into small chunks and place on top of the rice. Drizzle sauce over it. Sprinkle with a little bit each of the parsley, spring onions, fried garlic and chicharon. Serve with one fried egg per serving, some of the salsa and a dollop of the chilli oil.

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