"Sarap" basically means "delicious." Almost any Filipino dish can be considered comfort food, and of course, it is never quite right unless the right family member prepared it. Most Filipino dishes are simple and hearty, with the main ingredient oftentimes some form of meat, whether beef, pork, chicken or fish. Of course, vegetarian Filipinos are hard to come by.
Filipino food is beginning to become more popular in mainstream dining, with restaurants such as Gerry's Grill, a chain from the Philippines that now has two locations in the Bay area.
It has even made its way into current San Francisco foodie culture, with the huge popularity of the Adobo Hobo, Jason Rotairo. Chicken adobo is the signature dish he totes around the city. A simple stew made with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, whole peppercorns, and bay leaves, it is also the one dish that reminds many people of home. Consequently, it has many variations from family to family.
After a few weeks of tracking him down, I had a short chat with the Adobo Hobo about his adobo recipe, and finally got to taste what all the fuss was about.
He learned how to cook adobo from his mom. I learned from my grandpa. We both simmer it for hours, and while he only serves chicken or vegetarian adobo, I've experimented with pork.
His adobo was more peppery than mine, and also healthier because he trims off the skin and uses low sodium soy sauce. My brother would consider this blasphemy, but I love the chance to try new versions of one of my favorite foods.
Here is a recipe for chicken adobo that I got from Burnt Lumpia, a blogger who devotes much of his time to trying out Filipino recipes.
1 Tbsp. achuete oil or vegetable oil
8 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin
5 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and brown the other side, another 5 minutes.
Remove the browned chicken from the saute pan and place in a large bowl. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the drippings from the saute pan and return to low heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the soy and vinegar, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan, along with any accumulated juices from the bowl, and bring to a gentle simmer. After the liquid reaches a simmer, cover the saute pan and cook for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium, cooking for 15 minutes more or until sauce thickens to your liking. While the chicken cooks, occasionally stir and spoon sauce over the chicken. Remove the bay leaves and serve over white rice. Drizzle chicken and rice with sauce.
Minus the browning, this recipe is very close to what I gorge on at home.
There are too many dishes that are considered Filipino food staples, from the more familiar, like adobo and lumpia, to dishes like sisig or dinuguan. (All recipes from Burnt Lumpia, with permission. Photos from Creative Commons.)
Lumpia, or Filipino egg rolls:
Lechon baboy, a whole roasted pig that is often the center piece of large parties:
Pork sisig, which is made of pork parts that have been boiled, grilled and fried:
Dinuguan, a stew of pork and pig's blood:
Did you make the whole pig? Only kidding! Too bad we didn't have our party; you could have shared your culinary skills.
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