Pork Adobo!

I was battling over the idea last night as to what kind of dish I would post for my first recipe. Then I realized, I am a Filipino! And there would be no better way to show how proud I am of being one, then to share one of the Philippines best known dishes, Pork Adobo!

Adobo is a famous Filipino food using soy sauce and vinegar as a base. Most people use either chicken or pork as their meat. Where I am from, celebrations like birthdays, weddings, annual fiestas, and the etc. wouldn't be complete without Adobo. To a Filipino, a occasion without adobo, is like a meal without a rice, Oh yes! Me and my rice!

Anyhow the balance of the salty-sweet flavor from the soy sauce and the sourness from the vinegar makes this dish one that is truly to die for. I love the aroma that the bay leaves, peppercorn, garlic and onions make, its so good it will cause the neighbors to drool (lol). The technique of this dish varies from person to person. I usually marinade my meat overnight or if not 2 hours minimum in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of pork shoulder (cut in cubes)

½ cup of soy sauce

¼ cup of vinegar

1 red onion (cut in cubes)

1 head of garlic (crushed)

1 tsp of whole peppercorn

4 bay leaves

Oil (enough to coat the pan)

Procedure:

1. Marinade meat with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and onion in bowl. Place the marinade meat in the refrigerator for overnight or if not 2 hrs minimum.
2. Heat frying pan over medium high and add oil. Once oil is hot enough put in pork and fry until golden brown on each side. Set aside.
3. Scoop out garlic and onion from the marinade and saute from the same pan until translucent approximately about 3 minutes.
4. Add the browned meat to the sauteed garlic and onion, stirring in to incorporate the flavors. Pour in the marinade together with the bay leaves and peppercorn and simmer the meat until tender approximately 25-30 minutes. Stirring occasionally making sure the meat is not sticking on the pan.
5. Serve over a bed of steamed rice.

PS. Thanks to my wonderful brother-in-law Matrix for providing the meat tonight!

-Love-