Oh, Adobo!

CEBU, Philippines — Adobo is indeed the one dish that the Philippines is widely known for. It is not indigenous to the country, though. It’s a pork dish that was brought to the country by the Spaniards.

What is perhaps a Philippine original about the adobo is the way certain regions of the country tweak this Spanish import. For example, the Filipinos in most of the Visayas and Mindanao areas would not consider the adobo of Luzon as adobo at all. To them, the Luzon adobo is either “humba” or “inun-onang baboy,” or a combination of both.

The adobo of the Philippine south is not saucy – it’s fried! It’s lighter in color compared to the saucy version. And it’s deliciously crispy.

Both adobo versions – in Luzon and in the southern regions – are delicious, but there are distinct differences. The lighter color of the Visayas-Mindanao version is due to the omission of soy sauce. In the Luzon version, the marinade that is intentionally retained as sauce of the finished dish adds to the dark color.

Commonly called Adobong Bisaya, the adobo of the Philippine south sometimes uses ‘patis’ or fish sauce instead of the soy sauce. Patis has a much lighter color than “toyo” or soy sauce. But most of the time even the patis is omitted, which explains the lighter color of the crispy Adobong Bisaya.

Adobong Bisaya

Ingredients:

1 kg pork belly, cut in desired sizes

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp salt

½ tbsp. peppercorns

2 laurel leaves

½ cup vinegar

1½ cups water

½ cup cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients – except cooking old – in a pot or deep pan.

2. Simmer until pork becomes tender.

3. Continue to simmer until liquid has reduced to almost nothing.

4. Add oil and fry until pork turns brown and crispy.

Serve and enjoy.

This recipe serves five persons.