I know very little about Filipino cuisine. I know that they eat balut (do NOT click on that link if you’re squeamish), they have a sour tamarind based soup called sinigang, that they love pork, they call noodles pancit, and … that’s about it. My first real foray into it came a couple weekends ago when I bought a pork loin ready to bread and fry but I had forgotten that I was out of coconut milk at home for the accompanying curry. It was a Sunday afternoon and I’d already changed into my home clothes and I really didn’t want to go to the hassle of going outside again. I’d have to make do with what I had.
A Google search for what to do with a pork tenderloin to eat with rice resulted in a few hits for pork adobo, a very popular Filipino method of cooking pork and chicken. Turns out, it was a very straightforward method too as many recipes have you just dump everything into a pot and simmer for about an hour. That I can do!
To me, what makes adobo so different from other similar Asian simmered dishes is use of quite a bit of vinegar; indeed, the simmered meat and sauce should be quite tart, with a good kick of pepper and garlic. However, despite it being an unfamiliar flavour, the tartness grew on us and we were scraping the bottom of the pan for all the sauce to eat with our rice! And it’s a great thing to cook on an extra hot day as you hardly have to watch the pot as it simmers away.
Pork Adobo
serves 2.
1 lb pork tenderloin
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp crushed black pepper
1/4 cup vinegar (I used a combo of rice vinegar and white malt)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1-2 tbsps sugar, to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
Cut the pork tenderloin into 1 inch cubes and place in a nonreactive pot. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the cornstarch (start with 1 tbsp of sugar), stir well and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and stir well.
Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer uncovered for about 1 hour. The sauce should reduce and become relatively thick but if you wish for it to be thicker, use the cornstarch mixed with some cold water.
Serve with white rice and some sort of vegetable on the side. I just chopped up some tomatoes.
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 07:45
I’ve seen this dish on the menu at Kiasu, which for some reason has things like this and pho on it, in addition to their core Malaysian/Singaporean menu.
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 08:02
Sounds right up my street AND I have all those ingredients in my cupboard waiting to be used up.
Go figure
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 10:46
That’s very efficient of you to find a new recipe on the fly! I’m so bad like that, if I have something in mind I can’t switch to cook/bake anything else! But the adobo looks like a good find indeed and i LOVE sour
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 14:53
yum! i was just thinking i need to make adobo soon. i make mine with chicken for a super easy dinner. yours looks perfect — yay for filipino food!
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 15:08
I am glad that you liked your first try of cooking Filipino adobo! Some other variations that you might try would be to use coco or palm vinegar. you can also try to add a little bit of coconut milk.
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 15:39
Oh crap I clicked on that link. Your warning just made me want to click on it more!
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 15:57
Looks tasty.Not normally squeamish but don’t think I could stomach balut.
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 16:44
Would you recommend browning the pork cubes first?
Wed, 3 Aug, 2011 at 06:52
ITS BETTER IF YOU SATE THE GARLIC ONION AND CUBE MEAT ONCE ITS BROWN ADD SOY SAUCE AND BROWN IT MORE THEN PUT STOCK LET BOIL UNTIL TENDER PUT BAY LEAF WHILE BOILING TOO IN ADDITION TO HIS ING. YOU CAN ALSO ADD PINEAPPLE CHUNKS AND JULIENNE RED BELL PEPPER YOU WOULD LOVE IT TRUST ME
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 18:21
I am happy to hear that I’m not the only person who has ‘home clothes’. The pork looks lovely too
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 20:36
That looks really interesting. I too know very little about Filipino food which is a shame. I think Ann has blogged about a similar dish, I really must try it out soon.
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 20:47
HOME CLOTHES are the way to go! My mission in life is to have the whole world adopt home clothes. I don’t understand non-home-clothes living!!!! =)
Oh, try making pork adobo with pork belly. Mmm.
Wed, 4 Aug, 2010 at 20:47
Home clothes are the best: I can’t imagine how people can live without home clothes!
Glad to hear that you like adobo.
Thu, 5 Aug, 2010 at 02:41
yum!
Thu, 5 Aug, 2010 at 10:05
adobo is like an everyday dish, it’s comfort food, so good. but what I like best about it is, when re heated it breaks down into this super tender bits, and the flavor gets so deep and rich, it gets more delicious after the first serving. You should try making it as flakes, where you shred the adobo meat then fry it into flakes, it makes a lovely adobe sandwich.
eat it with salted egg and tomatoes as sides.
Thu, 5 Aug, 2010 at 11:41
Horray for home clothes! I have a whole drawer full of them.
I love adobo, though naughtily I cook it a little longer and use pork belly or shoulder instead.
Thu, 5 Aug, 2010 at 11:52
you are on a roll Su-Lin! wow. that is two dishes that i have on my to-do list for this week! already bought the pork. i am going to use a shoulder tho. all the other ingredients are ready to go. u used the sugar to cut into the acidity of the vinegar and the saltiness of the soy. i was thinking of maybe using some juice or agave in its place and maybe adding some red pepper flakes. i read that there were as many variations of this dish as there are Filipino dialects.
Thu, 5 Aug, 2010 at 13:31
Wow! Love the recipe. I’m saving it for next week as I have some frozen pork belly strips that’s crying out for new ideas.
I won’t be clicking balut by the way. Lol. But I do agree with “home clothes”. Mine is a baggy t shirt and trakkies. Horribly well worn but so comfy to wear.
Fri, 6 Aug, 2010 at 10:21
this looks very tasty. i’ve seen chicken versions of this too, but probably cooked in a different method.
Fri, 6 Aug, 2010 at 16:36
Brilliant. A new way to cook pork.
Sun, 8 Aug, 2010 at 00:02
Yum, that looks good. Going to try your recipe:-)
Tue, 10 Aug, 2010 at 04:29
Looks so simple and so lovely! Well done.
Other great examples of meat with vinegar: Cantonese-style pig trotters with black vinegar and (recent delightful discovery) steak dipped in olive oil and good balsamic vinegar.
Tue, 10 Aug, 2010 at 11:03
Mr Noodles: They have quite the mish mash of dishes, no?
Carla: It’s one of those dishes that I reckon most people can make from their storecupboard. A rainy day meal!
catty: That reminds me, I really should use my cookbooks more… I still haven’t unpacked the ones I brought back from Singapore!
Jacqui: Thank you! I should try it with chicken next!
paoix: I really like that coconut milk idea – thank you!
Wild Boar: Yeah, I would have clicked on that link myself.
Northern Snippet: Yeah. I’m not gonna try balut anytime soon.
Ivan: I say go for it! I’ve not tried it but browning improves lots of things!
Helen: Ah ha! You were the first to spot the home clothes thing!
breadetbutter: I too know very little – keen to read more. Their roast pork (lechon) sounds delicious!
TS: I know! Do people actually wear their outdoor clothes all over the house? Do you take off your shoes at home too?
JS: Home clothes are just so comfortable! You can’t curl up in jeans!
kat: It was!
Ana: I love the idea of the dry shreds of adobo – it sounds almost like Chinese pork floss! Yum yum yum!
Lizzie: Pork belly – yay!
Donald: I think every family has their own recipe… I’d definitely play around with it until you’re happy!
Robert: I bet it’ll be fab with belly pork. Hope it goes well!
grub: Not sure how the chicken one differs but I can imagine it being tasty.
Bron: It’s easy too!
Hungry Female: Hope it goes well for you!
Wen: Of course – I totally forgot about trotters in vinegar! Good one!
Sun, 15 Aug, 2010 at 06:00
Lean meats should NEVER be used for adobo hehehe. It must be a fatty cut of pork
We LOVE fat!
Wed, 18 Aug, 2010 at 18:44
I work with alot of Filipino’s and I am always drooling over their lunch. This looks tasty and easy! I am certainly going to give it a go.
Sat, 21 Aug, 2010 at 17:14
That sounds really easy! When Filipino friends have talked about adobo it always sounded like this mystical dish which required hours of pounding by grandmothers.
Sun, 29 Aug, 2010 at 22:58
aloisa: Pork belly next time!
vintagemacaroon: Ooooh, I wonder what other exciting things they bring for lunch!
Foodycat: Everyone seems to have their own special recipe. I wonder if there is one family whose recipe does involve lots of pounding! But the basic recipe is indeed quite simple.
Thu, 26 Apr, 2012 at 18:46
[...] Su-lin’s pork adobo recipe. Related [...]
Tue, 31 Jul, 2012 at 07:05
Hey, guys, you can actually combine pork and chicken to make adobo. My chef friend once recommended to me and I have been doing it since, to marinade overnight the meat pieces first in the equal amount soy and vinegar, with lots of crushed garlic (it has to be more than 3 cloves!) and black pepper. Then when ready, heat some oil and shallow fry the pieces to brown them, setting them aside in a pot as you go along. Then pour the marinade on the browned pieces and simmer with some bay leaves until tender. Serve with rice, and the best condiment is sliced cucumber with sugar/vinegar dressing (and white ground pepper). Yum yum!