If there is one Filipino dish that can be cooked a variety of ways, it’s the quintessential adobo. Every Filipino knows the must-have ingredients: bay leaves, peppercorn, garlic, soy sauce and vinegar. But only if you don’t hail from the small town of Sulipan in Pampanga where the use of soy sauce to darken and flavour the dish is frowned upon.
When it comes to doing adobo the hard way, you can’t go past the so-called ‘adobo del diablo’, an adobo dish that takes much longer to make, sidestepping the easy route in favour of deglazing the stock several times until you end up with a beautifully caramelised food for the gods. The word ‘diablo’ means ‘devil’ in Spanish although the rather dramatic reference points to the meat that is served on the plate. This adobo recipe is not for the faint-hearted as it demands chicken giblets and heart, beef liver and chicken blood. Check out the recipe below from famous chef and cookbook author Gene Gonzalez as featured on inquirer.net.
But if you’re after something that the whole family will love, nothing beats the traditional adobo, which is the favourite dish of Grace Bragado, a care giver, business owner and distributor of Nutricraft cookware in the Philippines.
Grace relies on Nutricraft cookware to cook her fave dish as it allows her to use less salt and oil in the process. She says that being healthy is important to her so that she can look after her four children. Grace tragically lost her husband to a car accident several years ago, which forced her to leave her lucrative work abroad and go home to become a single parent raising four kids.
“I didn't know what to do, how to start again but then I survived,” she says.
She later studied to become a trainor helping others to look after their health but then the pandemic occurred and she lost her income. “I decided to have another source of income but then it did not work, but thanks to Nutricraft, [the business saw my potential] and I started working for them.”
Supported by Nutricraft’s co-founder Judith Viado, she soon found the confidence to start her own Pan de Sal business.
“If Nutricraft believes in me, then I should also believe in myself,” says the budding entrepreneur.
If you’re up for an adobo cooking challenge using Nutricraft cookware, here is the recipe for ‘adobo del diablo’. Adjust the ingredients to taste.
Adobo del Diablo
Ingredients:
1½ cup pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1½ cup chicken, cut into 3-inch pieces
½ cup chicken heart
½ cup beef liver, cut into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup pork kidney, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ chicken giblets, cleaned
½ cup chicken blood, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup vinegar
2 tbsp corn oil
½ tbsp cracked pepper
2 tbsp garlic
¾ salt
6 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp pork lard
2 cups chicken stock
Saute garlic in corn oil until slightly brown. Add pork cubes, chicken, chicken heart, beef liver, pork kidney, beef liver, chicken giblets and chicken blood.
Add vinegar, pepper and fish sauce.
Take out chicken giblets and heart, beef liver and chicken blood. Continue braising. When brown crust forms and meat turns brown, douse with a little stock and deglaze.
Return brown colored liquid to the meat and continue until crust forms again. Repeat deglazing with stock about 3 times.
When stock is added, put all variety meats when chicken and pork are tender and sauce turns brown.
Simmer for 15 minutes or until dry then separate meats.
Deglaze pan with stock. Serve the sauce on the side and meats separately.
The Australian Filipina is proud to launch the ‘Kain Tayo’ series, tips on healthy cooking for the modern Filipino palate, in partnership with Nutricraft Cookware, Nutrition In Every Meal.