Pork Adobo

October: National Pork Month

Islander’s maternal grandmother used to raise pigs in her homestead. Sometimes she would sell the whole hog at the marketplace or keep some of the swine to feed her family. Islander’s Mommy, the second of five children, learned how to prepare a simple pork dish, adobong baboy, a type of Filipino stew, from her mother and eventually passed on the easy recipe to her own daughter. Islander prefers the saucy-style over the dried-then-fried version so our blog recipe post features more liquid in our pork adobo. Cook it to commemorate National Pork Month or to feed Filipino friends and family!

Recipe

(Inspired by Grandmother and Mommy)

• 1 pound pork (loin, belly, butt, stew meat or spare ribs)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup vinegar (we used cane sugar vinegar)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon peppercorn
• 1 large bay leaf

Directions

Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and saute the garlic for a few minutes, being careful not to burn the cloves or the dish will become bitter. Add the pork pieces and cook until brown. Pour in the water, vinegar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Add the peppercorns and bay leaf. Cover the saucepan and cook for 30 minutes or until the pork is tender. Discard the garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf. Serve the pork adobo with hot, steamed white rice.

Notes

• Some of our Filipino friends have different versions of pork adobo. Islander’s aunts would just add all the ingredients in the sauce pan, then transfer the cooked pork pieces to a skillet and fry them for a little crispness. Another friend, Girlie B., substitutes a can of coconut milk for the water for a more fragrant stew. And our kumare Cherlyn B. combines chicken with the pork in her adobo.
• Beware that the vinegar aroma does permeate throughout the house while cooking this dish!