Today, I will teach you how to cook the best Filipino pork adobo in the easiest and simplest way. Pork adobo is one of the most well-known and loved dishes by everyone. In fact, Pork adobo is often included in every typical restaurant or carinderia here in the Philippines.
It is so famous that some of us consider it our national food. Pork adobo will always be best served with a bowl of rice as rice can neutralize the strong flavor of adobo.
In general, you can cook adobo with different kinds of vegetables such as long beans, string beans or banana flowers (Puso ng Saging), you may even add fried potatoes to your pork adobo if you like. There are lots of Filipino pork adobo versions that vary according to localities.
What is a Filipino Pork Adobo Recipe
The history of Pork adobo was not recorded; however, the word adobo which is a cooking method here in the Philippines derived from the Spanish word Adobar which means “to marinade” as in 1613 during the spanish colonization, Filipinos would use vinegar to help them preserve their food in a warm weather of the Philippines.
The term, Adobo was first recorded in the dictionary Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala compiled by the Spanish Franciscan missionary Pedro de San Buenaventura. He referred to it as “adobo de los naturales” ("adobo of the native peoples")
The original adobo was not black, and so we called it adobong puti - I’m sure our ancestors don’t know that we have been calling it adobong puti by this time. It was salt and not Soy sauce , which was the main condiment of adobo before, but when the Chinese introduced the Soy Sauce, we started using it, and that gave way to the birth of adobong itim.
Variations of Filipino Pork Adobo Recipe
We are living in a country with increasing number of islands! From 7,107 islands, we now have 7, 641, and just like that, there are emerging versions of our Pork adobo. Below are some of them that we currently have.
Filipino's Best Pork Adobo with Egg Recipe
Filipino recipes like this are popular among small eateries in the Philippines. However, it may sound so strange to add a hard-boiled egg to recipes like this. Don't worry! We assure you that it will amaze you with the perfect combination of the adobo sauce, the Pig's Meat, and the hard-boiled egg.
To make this, just cook the recipes like this the usual way. Once it is done, just add hard-boiled eggs, then serve. You can choose from chicken egg or quail egg depending on the one that you have.
Did you know that a hard-boiled egg has lots of benefits? It is beautiful that you are browsing this article because we will unravel the healthy benefits of hard-boiled eggs.
Hard-Boiled eggs are among the most nutritious foods on Earth. Furthermore, it possesses lots of vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein, and excellent fats. To highlight it, even more, the vitamins present in this beautiful egg are as follows:
Vitamin B12(cobalamin) - this B vitamin is crucial in nerve tissue health, good brain function, and red blood cells production.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)- this B vitamin aids the body in cellular respiration. It is often found in dietary supplements.
Vitamin A- is needed by the body for normal vision, a robust immune system, and reproduction. It also helps other organs work correctly, like the lungs, heart, kidney, and more.
Vitamin B5 ( Pantothenic Acid) - Now, this vitamin is the essential vitamin needed by our body. It is responsible for making blood cells and converting energy from the food that you eat.
Selenium - this vitamin is responsible for thyroid function and metabolism. Aside from that, it boosts the immune system, slows age-related mental degeneration, and reduces risks of getting heart complications.
Aside from the beautiful set of vitamins and minerals present in a whole egg, it also improves your cholesterol profile. Since it is hard-boiled, no oil is used for cooking this wonderful delight making it cholesterol-free. In that case, there will be low chances of getting heart diseases in the future.
A whole hard-boiled egg is not just good for the heart but the brain as well. The choline present in an egg is essential in brain development. That is why pregnant women are advised to include this on their diet. Also, low choline in the body would result in liver problems, heart risks, and neurological disorders.
If you are on a diet, adding this to your daily meal is essential because it is packed with protein. Usually, if you are on a diet, you remove most of the carbohydrates and red meat in your diet. In that sense, it will not be a balance. That is why add some egg to your meal to have a nice amount of protein for your body.
Aside from the benefit of Vitamin A for the eyes, it also has lutein for fantastic eye health. If you take a hard-boiled egg during breakfast, it will help you lose unwanted body fats.
Looking back at all these attractive benefits of hard-boiled eggs in your body, you should try cooking this variant for your family. By the way, before we move on to the next variant, we know that peeling off the shells from a hard-boiled egg is a struggle. To achieve that silky smooth, flawless egg out of its shell requires a technique.
The first one would be how you cook it! Start by carefully dropping your raw eggs into hot water to boil. After that, drop it into cold water to loosen up the shells from the egg itself. You may also want to chill the eggs before peeling for a better result.
Next, you might want to steam them instead of boiling the eggs. Although the thesis is a different way of cooking the eggs, the result is like burning the eggs. Another thing to consider is letting it cook with your rice. Just put it over your rice while cooking, and once the rice is done, it is done as well.
Furthermore, you can try using older eggs instead of fresh ones. This is because old eggs have a higher pH level than the fresher ones. In this case, the eggshell will not get too sticky with the flesh, unlike when you use a fresh egg.
If you can still cook it in case what you have is a fresh egg, just add a sprinkle of baking soda. BAking soda is alkaline, and it increases the level of pH once added to food. In this case, it will be easier to peel it off.
The next technique is to use one hand and roll the egg. Just crack it a little, then roll it out. Moving the egg will loosen up the eggshell, making it easier to peel off. Do not push the egg to mush, or you will squish it.
The last one would be to put the egg in a jar or container, add water and shake. Shake It vigorously for 20 seconds. After that, you will see how the shells remove themselves from the flesh.
Whatever technique you use is useful depending on the resources that you have at home.
Pork Adobo sa Buko
Unlike Pig's Meat adobo with Gata, this Filipino version is unique because we add coconut water and meat to our Adobo. The taste? It is light, sweet, and earthy. This unique recipe is also a must-try!
Aside from the coconut meat being delicious, it is also healthy. Coconut meat is full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals essential in the body's growth and development. Aside from that, it has saturated fats and fiber necessary for excellent digestion.
Furthermore, it helps boost nice cholesterol in the body to reduce the risk of a heart attack. Yes, it is an excellent pair to recipes like this that contain pork fat. Also, it can help you lose weight as you include it in your meals.
Since coconut meat has a beautiful amount of fiber, it helps in digesting food properly. In this sense, you can assure that you won't get constipated after eating this variant. You will never have to worry about eating a lot. This will help you get protected from harmful diseases. You get protected at the same time, and you get to eat a healthy and delicious meal.
It can also help maintain blood sugar and improve immunity. In times like this, boosting up the immunity is a must! Eating this variant of recipes like this will surely make you healthy.
Pork Adobo with Gata
This Filipino version is a must-try! I would suggest making it Spicy. The first time I cooked this dish, I was struck because I did not know that it would be my favorite adobo version. Honestly, I did not believe my mother back then, but to taste is to believe, and so I did. They say that Pig's Meat adobo with Gata was originally from Bicol because Bicolanos love to add Gata (coconut milk) and chili to almost any of their food.
With this type of dish, Pig's Meat fat will emerge in the middle of cooking, and you can't do something about it because it is natural. All you have to do to lessen the cholesterol in the food is to add something that reduces its impact on the body. The addition of coconut milk in dishes like this is essential, especially for those who are very strict with their cholesterol level in the body.
It is known that coconut milk helps reduce cholesterol levels in the body to avoid any heart diseases in the future. Aside from that, it also lowers the blood pressure you might get in eating this meat type. Besides that, coconut milk is essential in muscle growth, making it a perfect combination with meat, a great protein source.
On the other hand, coconut milk is loaded with essential electrolytes that alleviates a tired body. If you are going home from a tiring work, give yourself a rest and eat out any food with coconut milk. It is beautiful if it is this recipe variant. Don't worry! Eating lots of it won't affect your weight, as coconut milk helps weight loss.
Also, it helps the digestive system to digest food the proper way and relieves constipation as well. At this point, you might get excited cooking this variant, and no one is stopping you!
Yellow Pork Adobo
From the land of Cavitenos! We want you to experience a more visually enticing version of Pork adobo, the Filipino Yellow pork adobo! This adobo version is famous in Cavite, a region in the Philippines where turmeric is abundant. They add turmeric to Adobo, which adds a robust flavor to our Pig's Meat adobo.
This will somewhat taste like a curry, but it will still be delicious. Also, once you have an idea of how healthy turmeric is, you will surely try out this variant. If you have arthritis, it is great to eat dishes with turmeric to alleviate the pain. Besides, painkillers work faster when you intake turmeric.
Aside from arthritis, turmeric helps reduce the occurrence of osteoporosis. As you age, your bones are prone to deformation and breakage. It is better to reduce this by taking dishes with turmeric or turmeric alone in the form of tea. It is also an antioxidant securing your body a perfect shield from cancer and other diseases.
Now that you know the benefit of including turmeric in your meals, you might want to try this variant on your next menu.
White Pork Adobo
This recipe is the mother of all Pork adobos. This is their favorite in the Visayas region. Technically, this is the original Pork adobo. Long ago, there was no soy sauce in the Philippines until the Chinese introduced it to us. When the Chinese arrived, most Filipinos replaced the salt with soy sauce as the salty ingredient, and it turned out to have that nice color that they loved. Since then, Adobo is not Adobo if it doesn't have that excellent soy sauce color. Also, the vinegar plays its role in making magic with the dish.
Pork Adobong Illongo
History crafted this Pork adobo that the Spaniards left. This is very popular in the Visayas region and Southern Luzon regions of the Philippines. The flavor of the Adobo with achuete or annatto oil.
It is so easy to make annatto oil. All you have to do is combine olive oil and annatto seeds in a pan. Do not overcook it. The annatto seeds will secrete a bitter taste affecting the annatto oil's overall flavor if you do.
If you are afraid that the taste will be different, don't be. Annatto oil is just for color that won't impact the taste of the dish. Besides, adding annatto oil to your words will add up some health benefits.
Annatto is a food coloring agent that has carotenoids. Carotenoids are also present in carrots making annatto oil perfect for eye health. Aside from that, it is known to be an antioxidant keeping you from free radicals and cancer.
Also, annatto is known for its antimicrobial function, making it suitable for food storage. If you plan to bring out recipes like this on your next trip, you might want to consider cooking this variant because it will not spoil quickly along the way.
Pork Adobo with Fried Potato
Who does not love Potatoes? Adding a fried potato in your Pork adobo makes it unique! The fried potato itself is delicious and even tastier with the dressing of Adobo! Usually, they add potatoes in the course of cooking, making them soft and silky to taste. But if you want a slight touch of crisp, go ahead and cook the potatoes separately by frying them in a pan. Just add it to the actual dish when serving.
Just a friendly reminder, cooking or frying the potatoes with skin on makes it even better. When frying, leave on the skin, then rub a small amount of salt on the skin to make it crispier and tastier. Do not overseason the potatoes. The dish itself is flavorful enough.
Pork Adobo with Sweet Potato
Some thought that dishes like this could only do it with potatoes, but it went well when we tried it with fried sweet potatoes. It is much better than the one with potatoes. Sweet potatoes are famous in Asian cuisine, mostly in Korea. They use it as a side for crispy delights, like a chicken with beer as a drink.
We want to give you a piece of quick information about sweet potatoes to encourage you to cook this variant. Sweet potatoes are starchy and part of the root vegetable family. Just like Potatoes, only that it is sweet. They come in a variety of colors - orange, white and purple.
Furthermore, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber essential in keeping the body healthy every day. Also, the fiber in sweet potatoes keeps your digestive system healthy. It does not have just one type of fiber, but two. One soluble fiber, also known as viscous fiber, helps absorb water and soften your stool. The other one is the insoluble fiber or non-viscous fiber, which, on the other hand, don't absorb water and just add bulk.
Also, the antioxidants present in sweet potatoes keep your body from getting free radicals and cancer-causing agents. In that sense, it also boosts up your immune system, which is essential at this time.
Sweet potatoes are surprisingly rich in beta carotene as well, which makes them healthy for the eyes. You can find this on the bright orange-colored sweet potatoes. On the other hand, sweet potatoes can also be put on purple colored sweet potatoes.
This is not just a fantastic delight, but it also promotes excellent brain health. A significant amount of purple sweet potato can improve the learning and memory abilities of the brain. So if you are studying for an exam, better eat up this variant with sweet potatoes to boost your learning capabilities.
If you are wondering how to add this to your diet, you can cook them like potatoes. You can also try frying them or baking them, whichever is preferable in your resources and available time.
Pork Adobo with Water Spinach or Kangkong
Kangkong is very famous here in the Philippines, and it has a significant role in our cuisine. Adding Kangkong to your Pork adobo adds more texture to it, making it more palate friendly. Just like Adobo with boiled eggs, this one will make you ask for more rice! The crunchiness of kangkong will surely make your taste buds satisfied!
To encourage you to cook this variant, we will unravel the health benefits a kang kong or water spinach can give you.
Since recipes like this have some cholesterol, balance it out by adding water spinach to the dish. This is because water spinach reduces the bad cholesterol in the body. Aside from that, it prevents constipation that might be a problem if eating pork recipes like this. Also, it is lovely to know that water spinach reduces the risk of getting diabetes for some.
It doesn't cease from there! It is also suitable for the eyes and fights anemia. In times like this, boosting the immune system is a must to fight deadly diseases. Great thing water spinach is a beautiful green veggie that helps the