Remitbee Recipe: A Taste of Philippines - Chicken Adobo

Canada’s population is diverse and contains many multicultural communities. Though Canada is a wonderful place to live its very normal for newcomers to feel homesick. Sometimes the best cure for this is a home-cooked meal from your native cuisine.

In the Remitbee Recipe Series, we’ve collected family recipes from people of different backgrounds. Maria, a Filipino living in Toronto, shares with us her favorite family recipe from the Philippines. A dish oozing with the smell of simmered soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic. A dish that every Filipino household will know by heart. It’s none other than Chicken Adobo.

In this article, let us help you transport your palate to Manila through this recipe of a classic Philippine dish which was known to be influenced by the Spaniards during their existence in the country.

The word adobo or inadobo came from the Spanish word adobar and meant “to marinate” or to combine the ingredients and left for preservation. A popular method used in the ancient days of not having refrigerators and freezers available because vinegar helps extend the shelf life of food. Basically, adobo is made up of meat, usually chicken or pork but many culinary innovators also use beef, fish, and tofu, with spices such as vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, salt, and some herbs. It is usually served for lunch or dinner with warm white rice.

• Prep Time: 5 mins to mix + 1 hr or more to marinate
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken cut into serving pieces
• 3 pieces of dried bay leaves
• 8 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons white vinegar
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 tbsps cooking oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
• 1 tsp whole peppercorn

Instructions

1. Combine chicken, soy sauce, and garlic in a large bowl. Mix well. Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour. However, the longer time spent in marination, the better.
2. Heat a cooking pot and pour cooking oil.
3. Once the oil is hot enough, pan-fry the marinated chicken for 2 minutes per side.
4. Pour in the remaining marinade even the bits of garlic. Add water and bring to a boil.
5. Add dried bay leaves and whole peppercorn. Stir lightly and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken gets tender.
6. Add vinegar. Stir and cook for 10 minutes or until it’s boiling.
7. Add sugar and salt (optional). Stir and turn the heat off.
8. Serve with white rice and enjoy. Kainan na! (Time to eat!)

Conclusion

The key process in making an authentic Filipino Chicken Adobo is the marination. This step can be skipped if you are in a hurry but make sure to simmer the chicken longer than 30 minutes to better extract the flavors from it. But as they say, all good things take time. So let your chicken drown and enjoy the soy sauce mixture even for as long as 12 hours. Spend time with your family, take some rest, do your work or hobbies and then get back to your adobo once you’re ready to unleash your culinary flair and recollect memories from your childhood.

While cooking a dish from the homeland may ease our homesickness, we still can’t help but think about our families and friends back home as we enjoy our Chicken Adobo. We can’t help but worry about how they are and if they are doing well especially with today’s pandemic situation. A simple “kumusta?” (how are you?) over chat might be enough. But sometimes, there’s even more to do.

Remitbee is here to help. In just a flash, your hard-earned money can be sent back home and enjoyed by your loved ones. With no fees to pay when sending over $500, Remitbee is your best option. Sign up for Remitbee today!