Now that restaurants in Dubai have re-opened to serve dine-in customers at limited capacity, you might like feeling rushing out to order your favourite meals once again. But to be extra careful, consider staying home for a little while longer, for your own safety and protection.
Besides, why not take this time to channel your inner chef and create delicious, home-cooked meals? Let’s start with a classic Filipino dish: chicken adobo. It’s delicious, easy to prepare, and may be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or even merienda). Are you ready? Let’s learn to cook adobo!
How to Cook Filipino Chicken Adobo
Like many other Pinoy dishes, adobo may have been introduced to us during the Spanish colonial period. The word itself is derived from the Spanish term “adobar,” which means “to marinate,” a method of food preparation where meat is soaked in spices before cooking.
Simply put, chicken adobo involves marinating pieces of chicken in soy sauce and spices, before pan-frying it and stewing it until tender. It should be marinated for an hour (or even longer, for better flavour). Afterwards, preparation and cooking time should take just around 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken sliced into serving pieces
- 5 cloves crushed garlic
- 3 pieces dried bay leaves
- 8 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon peppercorn (whole)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
Procedure
- Place the chicken, soy sauce, and crushed garlic into a large bowl, then mix well. Marinate for one hour (or longer). Keep in mind that the longer the marination time, the better the flavour!
- Heat a cooking pot, then pour in some cooking oil.
- As soon as the oil is hot enough, pan-fry the marinated chicken for two minutes each side.
- Pour in the remaining marinade and garlic, add water, then bring the dish to a boil.
- Add dried bay leaves, whole peppercorn, then let the dish simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken becomes tender.
- Add vinegar and let the dish simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Add sugar, salt, then stir the dish before turning the heat off. The chicken adobo is ready!
Of course, chicken adobo is best served with a warm cup of rice. Just pour some of that tasty sauce over your rice, slice some chicken, then dig in!
Variations of Adobo
What makes adobo so popular in the Philippines is that it can be done with chicken, pork, or even a combination of both in one dish! With a few simple adjustments, you can also make the sauce thicker or thinner, depending on your preferences.
You can also add some boiled eggs, potatoes, or pineapples, to make the dish more tasty and unique. Indeed, there is no single perfect way to cook adobo, but rather multiple ways to enjoy it!
How about you, do you have your own version of chicken adobo? Why not share it with us in the comments below! And speaking of Pinoy dishes, here is a list of Filipino restaurants in Dubai that you might want to visit, as soon as it’s safer for us to venture outside, anyway!
