White Adobo

Adobo a Puraw, Adobong Puti or “White Adobo” is yet another method of cooking what’s dubbed the “national” dish of the Philippines.

Filipino adobo is a method of cooking food in salt, garlic and vinegar – it is not a spice mixture as is adobo in Hispanic or Spanish cooking. Most commonly, the “salt” used is soy sauce introduced by Hokkien Chinese between the 10th and 11th centuries and gives the dish a brown color.

This dish, “White adobo”, harks back to a time before the introduction of soy sauce and uses plain salt instead. What it was called has been lost to history. This recipe uses chicken, but I imagine that pork can used as well. Pork belly would work well with this dish, too.

In searching for this recipe in “Kusina Masters” to “Adora’s Box”, I’ve traced their sources to the following blog post: “Adobong Puti (White Chicken Adobo) for Kulinarya Cooking Club”. My attempt differs slightly.

First of all, I used half the number of chicken thighs and I didn’t crisp the skin by browning it after braising. I just decided not to this time around. Maybe I’ll give it a shot and update this post.

Second, I’m not a fan of white vinegar – It’s just too strong for my palate.  Even just a fourth of a cup, seems too overpowering. (Yes, I’m Filipino.) I opted for “Sukang Iloko” which happens to have a bronze color and is milder. It’s similar in appearance to malt vinegar. Another vinegar would be fine; I’d just use 1/3 of a cup or less. Use the vinegar that suits your palate or whatever is readily available.

Third, I used about half as many garlic cloves or it’s equivalent, but minced. I would normally smash the whole cloves once they became soft, regardless. Why not cut to the chase?

And lastly, I used freshly ground black pepper and maybe a bit more salt. Trissalicious, the author of the post and recipe, doesn’t give an exact amount, so I had to start with a small amount at first then added more to get the right amount of saltiness. Did I mention that I have a salty palate? You can start with a bit less than suggested.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in (with skin on)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons oil
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup Sukang Iloko (or less if using white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• 1 cup water
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of salt (or less)
• 2 bay leaves

Preparation:

1. Mix the salt and pepper. Season the chicken well on both sides rubbing into the skin. 
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken thighs skin-side down to brown and crisp up the skin. Do not turn over. This should take about 3 – 4 minutes. But, if you want it a bit crispier, add few more minutes, but watch for burning. 
3. Remove the chicken and set aside. Drain some of the rendered chicken fat leaving about a tablespoon in the pan.
4. Sauté the garlic until fragrant (2 – 3 minutes). Add the bay leaves and stir until the leaves become fragrant. Add the vinegar to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom and release the “fond”.
5. Add the chicken skin-side up. Cook in the vinegar for about 5 minutes, then add the water.
6. Cover and turn down the heat to medium-low to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Uncover and turn the chicken skin side down. Cover and continue simmering for another 15 minutes.
8. Remove chicken and place on a serving plate.
9. Reduce the sauce to about half. (15 – 20 minutes)
10. When serving, set a thigh on rice and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken. Serve the rest of the sauce on the side.