How to Cook “Dry Adobo” (Sauceless Adobo)

It is no secret.

Adobo is arguably the national Filipino dish.

The base ingredients are simple – the protein used is usually chicken and/or pork, garlic, and vinegar. But every region, ethnic group (and probably every household) in the great Philippine archipelago has its own version of adobo, and even those basic ingredients change: chicken or duck? Pork or beef? Cane, apple cider or wine vinegar?

Then there are also other additions: ginger, patis (fish sauce), onion, bay leaves, and so on.

My grandmother used to make the best dry adobo, which we usually had for breakfast or dinner and I loved it. I wasn’t able to get the recipe from her before she passed away, so I tried to recreate her recipe from memory, and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

• ½ kilo chicken cubes
• ½ kilo pork cubes
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup Sprite or 7-Up
• 1 whole garlic (slightly crushed)
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 laurel leaves
• 1 lemon (optional)

Cooking Time: 40 – 50 minutes

Serves: 4 – 5 people

Directions:

1. Rub the chicken and pork with a bit of salt and some lemon juice. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil and sauté garlic until it is slightly brown.
3. Add the chicken and pork, and sauté for a few minutes or until the meat has browned.
4. Add the peppercorn, laurel leaves, soy sauce, and vinegar. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. You can keep adding some soy sauce and/or vinegar, depending on how you like it. Ideally, the resulting sauce should be salty-sour.
5. Add the Sprite or 7-Up. This makes the sauce a bit sweeter. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, and stir occasionally.
6. Mix around for a few more minutes or until the sauce reduces.
7. OPTIONAL: Add salt and pepper to taste.

The result of the recipe above was much darker than the dry adobo of my grandmother, and more tender. For a crunchier texture, you can use less soy sauce and re-fry it in another pan after the sauce is absorbed in the meat.