Now my Filipino Adobo recipe is better than it's ever been

After everything I learned in the Philippines, it’s now my turn to master the adobo back in the studio. Join me as I put my new skills and knowledge to the test to create two of the most delicious Adobo recipes I can.

Recipes inspired by:

FOLLOW ME:

Director, Chef and Host: Andy
Videographer, Editor: Mitch Henderson
Production Manager: Dazz Braeckmans

Recipe Pre-colonial Adobo

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup or 60g lard
- 3kg pork belly, skin on and diced into 3cm cubes
- 1/4 cup or 65g salt
- 10 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 tbsp whole peppercorns
- 6 bay leaves
- 1.5 cups or 168ml coconut vinegar (if you can't find coconut vinegar, plain white vinegar will work)
- 1/2 cup or 56ml water

Method
1. Start by spreading the lard on the bottom of a heavy-based pot.
2. Then simply layer in the pork, salt, peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves.
3. Pour over the vinegar and water.
4. Place it on medium heat with the lid off for 20 minutes or until the vinegar pungency has reduced.
5. Then place the lid on, turn to low and cook for 2.5 hours. Note, there should be no need to stir during the cooking.
6. Once cooked, crack the lid and turn the heat off and let it cool completely before placing it in the fridge overnight.
7. To serve, heat a large cast iron pan over high heat and add the pork, cook until you have a nice colour, serve over rice with pickles and enjoy!

Recipe Adobo Seca
Worth noting that one of the main differences in this type of adobo is the use of fish sauce instead of soy sauce. I didn't use fish sauce in my recipe because the pork was already very well seasoned with salt. If you do want to use fish sauce, simply take your raw pork belly and cook it in water, season it with a small amount of vinegar and fish sauce, simmer it for 1-1.5 hours or until it's tender before completing the steps below, and finally finishing it with more fish sauce if it needs more salt.

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp lard
- 800g cooked pork, using either the recipe above OR cooked in water, fish sauce and vinegar like in the intro of this recipe.
- 20 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 tbsp achuete (Annatto) seeds soaked in 1/2 cup hot water for 1 hour
- 2 tbsp coconut vinegar

Method
1. Add the lard to a wok or large frypan.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the cooked pork.
3. Now, add the vinegar and liquid from the cooked annatto seeds. Stir well and simmer for 10-15 min for the vinegar to burn off.
4. Once cooked, serve over steamed rice.

[fwd]

Always appreciate when a chef goes out into the field to research their dish and learn from the locals.

[shrimp]

I remember someone saying adobo isn't meant to be spicy but in reality it can be anything. Filipino cooking isn't always down to the exact measurements, they go by feel and tasting. This is what makes the cuisine unique is that there is no true version of a recipe, this is why adobo is such a simple yet complex dish to master

[jimdcel]

Andy made Achara with the adobo is a low key epic move out of proportions. You have impressed my ancestors!! 😂

[ScharfeZungel]

Someone has gone to the country of origin, studied the origins, story and beginning and understood it from the ground up. He respects the content and its origins. You should be an ambassador, sir. You did a really good bloody job!

[erictejada]

Hats off to you for going the extra mile to learn more about Adobo. You are the 1st non-Filipino chef that i know of, that really took time and honored the Adobo. My highest respect and apprecuation for you. A Filipino by heart. Great job, Kuya Andy!

[markthomasstopani]

Thank you Andy for the Adobo series. My dad lived in the Philippines for several years and actually passed away there. He spoke about a pork dish that was eaten sometimes 3 times a day but could not remember the name of it. I knew it was Adobo but he was not sure of the name and your research confirmed my thoughts. Thank you again.

[drdjoeqvdo]

“None of them wrong, all of them good” was epic to describe the Pinoy adobo versions

[hangontofaith]

Never in my lifetime would I ever imagine that adobo would become an international household dish. Love these authentic recipes which I haven’t tried cooking at home yet. Thank you for studying our history! From CA

[simonwood]

Your book is ordered (with postagem I paid less for Larousse Gastronomique 😀)

As someone that works many months each year in the Philippines, I fell in love with the people, country and food - it is the first place I visited with work I never wanted to leave.

Filipino food is what I call honest food. It doesn't always look like a photo and is designed to fill a belly after a hard days work (and boy do filipinos know how to work hard).

Adobo na baboy is of course the most famous dish, but there are others: Kare-kare (beef in a peanut sauce); Sinigang na isda (fish in a sour tamarind sauce); TInolo; Crispy Pata (deep fried marinated pork knuckle); lechon na baboy (of course) - the famous spit roasted pig with skin like glass; balut (the infamous fertilised duck egg with an embryo inside); Sisig - pork cheek and chicken's liver marinated and served on a sizzling platter with a raw egg that is stirred though the served dish; lumpia shanghai (a deep fried spring roll). And then there are the offal dishes: chicaron bulaklak (a deep fried pork intestine that resembles a flower (bulaklak) after frying. All the foods up until the US occupation are really lovely. After the US occupation in 1898 (I think), things get overly sweet: Spaghetti (kind of bolognaise but may have hotdog in it) with so much sugar you need a diabetes doctor on standby; and of course burgers and fried chicken, overly sweet bread and a lack of proper cheese

Cheese is probably the one thing I miss in the Philippines. Most is "Eden" processed American cheese, mozzarella is that fake Dutch stuff that has the texture of Edam but less flavour.

But all that can be forgiven for the best palutans (snacks to be had with alcohol): cicharon (pork scartching); garlic peanuts; spicy peanuts. It's heaven on earth

[aldrin]

The Filipino people appreciates you for the effort of researching the Filipino adobo and going the extra mile to learn abut us, mabuhay ka kapatid!

[lokken]

Eating adobo made by my aunt is one of my core memories. I was 10 years old around 3:30pm after school, it was sunny and a little bit hot, we had a little restaurant in PH with bar stool type seating and my feet were dangling off it. My aunt was the cook and it was just adobo over some white rice. It's been more than 25 years and I now live in the US but I can tell you I've never had a dish that tasted so good ever again.

[desgl]

My grandma used to cook it like this. We call it adobong puti or white adobo because it didn’t have soy sauce that darkens the dish. My grandma would use fish sauce too aside from salt to get a more umami flavor. And she’d also sprinkle a bit of sugar to balance out the acidity.

My grandma serves her adobo with sweet-ish pickled labanos or radish with a bit of bird’s eye chili. :)

Great finished product Andy. Looks authentic! Bet it tasted great. Love searing on a cast iron pan. It’s the best for browning things.

[lillyess]

Reading the comments you can see how happy you can make people by respecting their culture, food and giving them an opportunity to be seen. Thank you, Chef for your efforts.

[arjayambatali]

I'm proud being a Filipino here. Thank you a lot for featuring adobo. Hoping you cook more filipino dishes. Love from Philippines.

[zchesiq]

I love how the thought and the preparations and the dedication has carried Chef Andy to actually go to The Philippines, get in touch with the locals and just to practically ge the correct way to cook it.

[avatech]

Once you understand the basic ingredients you can't go wrong with adobo. There are hundreds of version of adobo each region has it's own version. Thank you for your appreciation to pilipino classic dish Adobo❤🙏👌

[talipot]

Your first adobo video is already spot on but this video is just... chef's kiss! ❤ and the fact that you immersed yourself with Filipino chefs in the Philippines is just respect to the art of cooking 🥰

[Kymberlee_W]

Wow, how cool. I once worked with 2 sisters from the Philippines and they often brought, and shared, food at work. They were my first introduction to prawn crackers and Adobo and I loved them so much but never thought about cooking it for myself because I was single and I hadn't ever seen pork belly - I grew up in South Carolina - until I moved to Australia. Now, I am really craving something like Adobo because it's winter and it seems appropriate.

[maryj]

Wow, thanks for sharing, I would love to try that version as well.
My version of adobo
1. adobong Puti (no soy sauce) I just put all together in a pan, cooking oil, garlic, bayleaf, pepper corns, pork/chicken, salt, vinegar and water. I cook them all together until it tenderize and liquid evaporates and dries up.
2. Cooking oil, garlic, bayleaf, peppercorns, pork/chicken, a little salt, vinegar, soy sauce, water. Cook them until it's tenderize. Optional: you can put a little sugar or boiled eggs or pineapple tidbits
So simple and delicious.

[carmelitajones]

I watched the previous video and I appreciate how you followed Joel's instructions to the letter. Your precision makes you someone to follow. Thank you especially for your explanations. Wherever you went to culinary school, they must be proud.