Pork Adobo

Adobo is a Spanish word meaning seasoning or marinade. It is a very popular dish here in the Philippines and I learned how to cook it from my husband's lola [grandmother]. In the old times, adobo was cooked only with either pork or chicken or a combination of both. Nowadays, adobo is prepared with almost anything; fish, mushroom, meat, vegetables and now popularized by some gourmet restaurants, the Balut [embryo].

My lola's way of cooking it is by first marinating the meat with garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorn and bay leaf for a couple of hours. Then she lets it simmer until the meats are tender. When the meat is done, she lightly browns them in a separate pan followed by the sauce.

Ingredients:

• 500g pork, cubed
• 1 head garlic, smashed
• 250ml water
• 125ml white vinegar
• 75ml dark soy sauce
• vegetable oil
• salt to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• peppercorns

Directions:

1. Marinate the pork in vinegar, garlic, salt and bay leaves for 2 hours.
2. Simmer until the pork is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
3. Remove pork and set aside liquid.
4. Add the oil and fry the pork.
5. Pour the set aside liquid.
6. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with fried garlic and boiled eggs.