Authentic Filipino Pork Adobo Recipe - Foxy Folksy (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between adobo and Filipino adobo? ›

Philippine adobo has a characteristically salty and sour, and often sweet taste, in contrast to Spanish and Mexican adobos, which are spicier or infused with oregano.

As in Puerto Rico, adobo is beloved in most Filipino households; it's the unofficial dish of the Philippines, even as it varies by region or household. Most modern-day Filipino adobo is prepared with vinegar and soy sauce. Some families keep it simple with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper.

The key components of Filipino adobo are vinegar, protein, salt (or soy sauce, after Chinese traders arrived in the islands), garlic, and black peppercorns. One of the reasons adobo got its unofficial “national dish” title was because its ingredients are widely accessible across each region in the Philippines.

Adobo is really a kind of cooking method, originating in the Philippines. IT involves simmering meat and even seafood in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. The result is a tangy, savory dish that changes slightly with whatever protein you decide to cook.

Vinegar: White vinegar is the most common type to use for adobo. Sometimes I use cane or rice vinegar too.

Adobo!” And, there you have it. Filipino Adobo is an indigenous dish that received a Spanish name because it reminded the Spaniards of how they marinated and preserved meat with spices. They are not the same, but they are similar because each culture needed to preserve and flavor food so it wouldn't rot.

In Mexico, adobo sauce starts with dried chiles like guajillo and ancho peppers. The chiles are rehydrated and combined into a thick paste with an acid like vinegar or citrus juice and flavorful additions like onions, garlic, cumin, and oregano.

In the Philippines, adobo is considered the unofficial national dish, taking many forms across the country, but the base ingredients for the stew are typically the same: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper and bay leaves, along with some kind of marinated meat or vegetables.

Food historians note that the ingredients used to cook adobo have long been found in the Philippines before the Spaniards even set foot in the country. But since there isn't any record of the dish's original name, the term adobo became widely accepted.

Some side dishes that go beautifully with Filipino adobo are fluffy white rice, brown rice, quinoa or mashed potatoes. You'll want something starchy to soak up the delicious sauce. A simple green salad or cucumber salad would be the perfect side dish with chicken adobo.

What is the national dish of pork adobo? ›

Adobong Baboy. Adobo is considered the national dish of the Philippines – it is, in fact, a method of cooking, using in its most elemental form just sea salt, coconut or cane vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaves.

Adobo is indigenous to the Philippines. In a tropical climate, Filipinos had to find a safe and delicious way to preserve their meat. With no refrigeration, they soaked them in vinegar, salt, and spices so the meat would not spoil. Soy sauce, which has a high salt content, was later added to help preserve the food.

The traditional Filipino chicken adobo generally uses palm vinegar. However, unless you live in a major city with massive access to all sorts of pan-Asian ingredients, you're not likely to find that in your local market. My stepmother, who passed on this recipe to me, suggested white wine vinegar as a good substitute.

Thus, there is a total of twelve official national symbols passed through Philippine laws. There are symbols such as the carabao (national animal), mango (national fruit) and anahaw (national leaf) that are widely known as national symbols but have no laws recognizing them as official national symbols.

The adobo was traditionally cooked in clay pots but today is made in more common metal pots or woks. When the Spanish invaded and settled in the Philippines during the 16th century, they witnessed this traditional Filipino cooking method and called it adobo, which is the Spanish word for marinade.

The addition of soy sauce in the recipe came by way of Chinese traders. Similar to Filipino adobo, the Spanish version is a cooking process that involves preservation. However, except for the vinegar, the ingredients are vastly different. The Spanish adobar is red from paprika and spicy from chilies.

What Chicken Adobo tastes like. The glaze of Filipino Chicken Adobo is savoury and sweet with a hint of tang, with a distinct soy flavour. The garlic and onion creates a savoury base along with the bay leaves, and the peppercorns add little subtle pops of heat. Don't be afraid of the peppercorns in this!

Considered by many to be the national dish of the Philippines, adobo reflects the regionality of the archipelago's 7,640 islands. In some regions, coconut milk is added for adobo sa gata, and not all adobos even contain soy sauce.

Did you know we have over 100 variations of adobo? Here are some of the different ways that the different parts of the country prepare everyone's favorite Filipino food.