Filipino Food

Every country has a signature dish it’s proud of; the laksa and chicken rice of Malaysia, satay of Indonesia and the Paella of Spain are just a few examples. The trademark dish of Philippines is its Chicken Adobo. This is eaten throughout the Philippines; Filipinos love this sour and tangy dish.

The dish is believed to have originated in the Philippines though it has a strong Malay influence. By the fifteenth or sixteenth century, Filipino cooks had perfected the art of stewing with vinegar. This was a trick to make food withstand the tropical climate. Spanish settlers adopted this technique and called it adobo; to them, any kind of marinade is adobo. This aromatic dish was made popular by the Spanish in Philippines and it soon became an internationally renowned Filipino brand.

There are also a lot of health benefits attributed to this dish. Vinegar not only helps in preventing the dish from getting spoilt; it also aids digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic, as we all know is a strong antioxidant while chicken is a lean source of protein. If you’re planning a party, the chicken adobo would be a good choice to serve as main course. You can just prepare in bulk well ahead of time and keep it refrigerated. Boil some white rice and serve it as an accompaniment to chicken adobo.

You can use pork or fish to make adobo; but the chicken adobo is much more popular. The ingredients for this dish are easy to get or usually available at home. You can make tasty chicken adobo at home using this simple recipe –

You’ll need –

* Chicken (cut into pieces) – 3 pounds
* Crushed garlic – 3 tablespoons
* Water – 1 cup
* Vinegar – 1 cup
* Bayleaf -1
* Pounded peppercorns – 1 table spoon
* Salt – 1 tablespoon
* Soy sauce – 2 tablespoons

How to prepare –

Combine chicken, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorn and water and cook it in a pot. Let it boil. Turn the heat to low when bubbles start appearing and let it remain for about 20 mins. Skim off unwanted particles that float up. Toss in the salt and let it simmer again for ten mins. Now, take out the chicken pieces and drain. The chicken will be very soft. Let the stock keep cooking till there’s just a quarter cup left. Add soya sauce and turn off the heat immediately.

Take a cooking pan, pour oil and when it’s hot, fry the chicken pieces till they are nicely browned.

The preparation work is now over. To serve, take a serving bowl and keep the fried chicken pieces on it. Pour the hot chicken stock over the pieces. Your dish is ready to serve. Best accompaniments are plain rice, fried vegetable or salads.