I remember going to lunch with you at The Market when I was three, maybe four years old. We’d walk down the hill, pass the flower stalls and slip inside. I could smell it before we arrived- that sweet, slightly tangy smell and as we got closer I could see it: Meat glistening in sauce, fluffy rice noodles and those perennial favorites- lumpia. We’d get adobo and pancit and we’d hike back up the hill to your office, gusts of steam sneaking out of out take-out containers. I’d crawl under the desk to savor every last noodle.
Flash forward to my first day of high school when I met my best friend. She’s Filipino and from a family that COOKS. I hadn’t had adobo from the market in years but I walked into her house one day and the smell brought it all back. “Sorry,” she said. “My house stinks. My Mom’s been cooking all day.” She didn’t know yet that I will eat adobo just about anytime, anyplace. All she knew was a lot of her white friends thought Filipino food was weird and made faces if offered a bite. Not me! I made myself a regular after school, on weekends, and more than one family occasion. I’d show up at her house and her mom would say “Eat, eat!” I don’t think I ever turned her down. Senior year rolled around and for her Senior Project my friend decided to explore her culture and learn to cook her native foods. I, of course, was a willing taste-tester and when she’d mastered a couple of basics my friend taught me to make adobo.
Now, I make adobo at home for my family. I make big batches and freeze some to save for nights when I don’t want to do more than heat something up, or I give it to friends in times of crisis (or triplets!). Mine isn’t as good as hers, and when she’s around I make her cook for me so I can tweak my recipe and improve it just a little, but it still fills that spot that only comfort food can satisfy. I hope that by making it often my daughters will want to learn how to to make it; that we can share this comfort food that has less to do with our own nationality and more to do with our broadening horizons, and the opportunities that are put before us in an age when the world is growing smaller every day.
CHICKEN OR PORK ADOBO
1 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp black peppercorns, whole
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp kosher salt (optional)
1-4 Tbsp white vinegar
whole chicken thighs, or pork shoulder, cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
brown sugar (to taste)
cornstarch (optional)
cooking oil for frying
In a saucepan, combine 1/2 the vinegar, the garlic, pepper, bay leaf, salt (if using) and soy sauce. Add water. Sauce should be lighter than soy sauce. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Add brown sugar by the Tbspful to taste.
In a separate pan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and meat and brown the meat. Add to simmering sauce and cover. Simmer over low heat until meat is tender and sauce thickens, adding cornstarch if desired. Serve hot over white rice.
note: This dish freezes well; if you have extra sauce, freeze it and use it later. Also, because this is a recipe that has been passed along by word of mouth, these measurements are only approximations. Taste while you cook, and make sure it tastes balanced. You don’t want it too salty, vinegary, or sweet, but a little of everything.
Flash forward to my first day of high school when I met my best friend. She’s Filipino and from a family that COOKS. I hadn’t had adobo from the market in years but I walked into her house one day and the smell brought it all back. “Sorry,” she said. “My house stinks. My Mom’s been cooking all day.” She didn’t know yet that I will eat adobo just about anytime, anyplace. All she knew was a lot of her white friends thought Filipino food was weird and made faces if offered a bite. Not me! I made myself a regular after school, on weekends, and more than one family occasion. I’d show up at her house and her mom would say “Eat, eat!” I don’t think I ever turned her down. Senior year rolled around and for her Senior Project my friend decided to explore her culture and learn to cook her native foods. I, of course, was a willing taste-tester and when she’d mastered a couple of basics my friend taught me to make adobo.
Now, I make adobo at home for my family. I make big batches and freeze some to save for nights when I don’t want to do more than heat something up, or I give it to friends in times of crisis (or triplets!). Mine isn’t as good as hers, and when she’s around I make her cook for me so I can tweak my recipe and improve it just a little, but it still fills that spot that only comfort food can satisfy. I hope that by making it often my daughters will want to learn how to to make it; that we can share this comfort food that has less to do with our own nationality and more to do with our broadening horizons, and the opportunities that are put before us in an age when the world is growing smaller every day.
CHICKEN OR PORK ADOBO
1 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp black peppercorns, whole
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp kosher salt (optional)
1-4 Tbsp white vinegar
whole chicken thighs, or pork shoulder, cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
brown sugar (to taste)
cornstarch (optional)
cooking oil for frying
In a saucepan, combine 1/2 the vinegar, the garlic, pepper, bay leaf, salt (if using) and soy sauce. Add water. Sauce should be lighter than soy sauce. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Add brown sugar by the Tbspful to taste.
In a separate pan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and meat and brown the meat. Add to simmering sauce and cover. Simmer over low heat until meat is tender and sauce thickens, adding cornstarch if desired. Serve hot over white rice.
note: This dish freezes well; if you have extra sauce, freeze it and use it later. Also, because this is a recipe that has been passed along by word of mouth, these measurements are only approximations. Taste while you cook, and make sure it tastes balanced. You don’t want it too salty, vinegary, or sweet, but a little of everything.
Kate,
ReplyDeleteEvocative and thoughtful piece of writing -- and the adobo sounds good, too. I've had very little Filipino food comparatively, but I always appreciated the batch of lumpia that came across the street from Ray and Ruby at Christmastime -- you probably remember that, too.
Mmmm, lumpia! I'll post her recipe for that as well as a couple other things I learned to make this past week. And I just might have to cook for you next time we're in the same city!
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