Adobo is fondly called the “national dish of the Philippines”. There’s a comfort only this dish brings – that tenderness of chicken or pork, flavored with soy sauce or vinegar, sometimes with the hint of dried bay leaves or handfuls of peppercorn dotting that dish of brown.
There’s another wonderful, intangible benefit this simple dish brings – it always takes you home. When you’re home, it reassures you that you ARE home, safe and secure. When you’re away from home, it’s a reminder of home’s comfort. Perhaps that’s why it’s a staple on almost every Filipino restaurant’s menu, even if it is one of the most cooked meals at home.
In his Philippines episode of “Parts Unknown,” during the meal where he tasted some homecooked adobo, Anthony Bourdain shared, “So, the answer, as always, to ‘who makes the best adobo?’ is Mom.” He captured it perfectly. When we think about the most delicious adobo we’ve had, memories of home mostly do come to mind. Mom-made adobos would be the top choice. Even Mikey Bustos created an ode to Adobo with a Let It Go Parody. He sang, “Adobo, adobo, a classic Filipino dish, adobo, don’t you know, white people say it’s so delish, but no one makes, it better than my Mommy.”
Adobo Basics
Adobo, at its most basic, is a 7-ingredient dish. There’s the meat (chicken or pork would be most common), oil, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, basil leaves, and the peppercorn. A usual recipe would start with the oil heated in a frying pan. The meat would then be added, cooked until lightly browned. After cooking on both sides, the meat is transferred to another plate and set aside. All but a tablespoon of the pan drippings is disposed, and the pan is returned to the burner. Garlic is sautéed over low heat until soft. Then the rest of the ingredients are poured in. The chicken or pork is returned to the pan to cook, covered for about twenty minutes. Afterwards, the heat is increased to medium, the adobo cooked for another twenty minutes, until the meat is tender. This is your basic adobo.
What makes one adobo better than the other? Our Moms cook them differently, and aside from their personal touch, ingredients can also differ greatly. Here are perspectives on why some folks believe their adobo, or their Mom’s adobo, is simply the best.
A Little Something Extra
“I put the usual peppercorns, salt and sugar to taste, but I add something extra,” shares Miguel, who inherited his adobo recipe from his grandmother. “I put Mang Tomas All-Purpose Sarsa. I put half a cup towards the end, when the chicken is almost tender. It gives a little zing to the adobo.”
Jose adds something different to give his own adobo ‘zing’. “I add Sprite. It makes the adobo a little sweeter too.”
“Add brown sugar,” shares Yoly, a mother whose kids expect her adobo every Sunday. “It doesn’t make the dish super sweet, but it gives it a rounder taste. Parang nababalanse yun pagkaalat ng soy sauce. My kids absolutely love it.”
“We love our adobo with coconut milk or gata,” says Nini, whose Bicolano family loves spice. “Then we put siling labuyo. Like several siling labuyo. It’s very spicy and very good!”
Replace an Adobo Ingredient
“We’re not fond of soy sauce at home, even if it’s an ingredient in a dish or sawsawan,” shares Paula, who’s eaten adobo without the soy sauce since she was a child. “My mother replaced soy sauce with patis (fish sauce) and it’s delicious! That’s how we enjoy it till now.”
“In our family, we change up the adobo sometimes by replacing the vinegar with pineapple juice,” shares Sunny, whose family prefers their adobo on the sweet side. “We add in chunks of pineapple also. So there’s that’s agaw-tamis-alat that’s so good! Nakakakilig!”
Change up the protein
“We love liver, so we have our own adobo only with chicken liver. As in puro liver lang,” shares Gian of this mother’s adobo. “My Mother mashes some of the liver while it’s cooking, so it’s really soft and mushy when you eat it. Some of my friends say it looks kinda gross, but it tastes really good. The added texture makes it more yummy.”
For one vegetarian, Sam says she can still have her adobo and eat it too. “I use tofu. Fry the tofu first, then add it in later as you would with the chicken or pork. Sarap!”
The author’s adobo’s style: Saucy with lots of garlic and peppercorns, served with scrambled egg and tomatoes.
Tweak the process
“Marinade galore!,” exclaims Tina, whose adobo is her husband’s favorite dish. “I marinade the chicken overnight in a whole bunch of mashed garlic, soy sauce and vinegar. Then I cook the chicken in the marinade sauce the next day. 24 hours is best!”
“My Mom fries the chicken two times,” shares Tessa. “One in the beginning, then towards the end. The crispy chicken skin is to die for. She also deep-fries the potatoes before putting them in the adobo so they don’t become soggy or mushy with the sauce.”
These are just some ways one family’s adobo can be better than another’s. But there’s no need to compete! All these adobo dishes are most delicious not only because of the ingredients and the process, but because loving memories have been attached to their distinct taste and aroma. Adobo truly is the national dish of the Philippines, the dish that makes one truly feel at home.