ADOBO NATION

I just love the way the word adobo rolls out from your tongue. ADOBO! It sounds like it's a command. Or a salute.  For a Filipino the word adobo sounds like a nickname.  When you introduce yourself as Filiipino, instantly what comes to mind when it comes to food is... yes ADOBO!

A few years ago in Florida someone asked me if I'm from Hawaii... "your name Malou sounds Hawaiian" she said.   "No I'm from the Adobo Nation"  was my quick reply and she said "Oh so you're from the Philippines!"  she said.  This proved to me that adobo is synonymous to Filipino cooking...

I guess growing up in Adobo Nation made me veer away from cooking adobo. I'm all adobo-ed out!! haha But don't get me wrong, I still serve it to my family but only sporadically. I  usually cook a big pot of adobo because adobo is better after a day, and I usually put my "twist" on the dish. In my entry Adventures of the American Adobo   I "americanized" my adobo by adding apples to the dish. 

In another entry,  Skip To Malou I made a dish called Adobo Nation Salad Sensation wherein, the adobo is paired with green salad instead of rice and a special pineapple vinaigrette. 

If you're wondering why I'm posting another "adobo" dish, it's because this month Kulinarya (please see footnote below) is featuring ADOBO as the dish of the month.  This group was initiated by three ladies from Sydney: Trissa , Trishia and Kath  and I just joined the group last week (thank you ladies for the invite).

The adobo recipe I would like to share is called  Adobo Chicken Delight.  I was true to the basic ingredients of adobo but the twist is in that I made it into a fried chicken and made a sauce.  Yes folks it's cooked as adobo then deep fried...

So let's begin:

the basic ingredients of adobo:

2-3 lbs. chicken
3/4 c vinegar
1/2 c soy sauce
pepper
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 bay leaves (crushed)
In a saucepan, combine all the wet ingredients and crushed garlic together. Let it simmer. Add black pepper and crushed bay leaves. Allow the ingredients to fuse in together for a few more minutes, then you are ready to add the  chicken. Cook for about 30 minutes. Drain the chicken and set aside the sauce as you will need it later  to make adobo rice.

You could actually end here, as this is the classic adobo dish... but if you want to go further, read on.
For the breading:

1/2 c cornstarch

1/2 c flour

salt &pepper

paprika or any preferred seasoning 

 Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about  half full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot.. Meanwhile, roll the chicken pieces into the breading. Shake off excess flour.  Drop  5-6  pieces into the hot oil.  Make sure there's enough space to stir the chicken. Deep fry it until golden brown. Drain the fried chicken.  It should be crispy goden brown like so: 

 

 

Now for the rice:
 
Put cooked jasmine rice on the same pan where you cooked the adobo.  (remember the pan with the adobo sauce you saved earlier) Remove excess sauce as it may make the rice too mushy.  Add toasted garlic... your rice should look like so:
 

For the dressing:
Mix yogurt, vinegar, sugar and chives.  Adjust it to your taste.  I did mine really creamy, but if you want it thinner add more vinegar.  Now that you have the fried chicken, the adobo rice and the dressing you are ready to have  ta-dah... the ADOBO CHICKEN DELIGHT to enjoy:
 

 
 

 

.  The Kulinarya Cooking Club aims to promote the wonderful world of the Filipino cuisine. Each month, the KCC members will feature a dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino food as we do.