inspiration: kulinarya

a few months ago, my parents took their annual trip to the philippines. my cousin, kris, was nice enough to send me a filipino cook book, kulinarya.

unfortunately, i can't grab any screen shots, so you'll just have to go their site. the book is sponsored by the asian society and other philippine based food companies. their goal is to refine filipino cuisine while also keeping true to it's roots. [much like that restaurant in bloomfield i've been raving about!]

the book is amazing! it has cooking tips, explanations on various cooking techniques, and awesome photography of the food. filipino food never looked so pretty.

the best part is, i've finally figured out my mama's adobe recipe which i previously lamented about not knowing here. apparently, she was a purist and had a soy sauce-free adobo, called adobong puti.

according to the book--

white adobo gets its name from the "white" (i.e. clear) vinegar it uses - the appearance of the dish is actually brown - due to the frying. purists insist that "white adobo" is the classic version, because it highlights the trio of basic adobo flavors: vinegar, garlic and peppercorns, and eliminates soy sauce, which tends to drown out the other flavors.

here is the recipe:

• 500g pork belly (liempo)
  
• 6 cloves of garlic
  
• 1/2 cup vinegar (cane, palm or white)
  
• 2 bay leaves
• 500g chicken
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp salt
  

1. in a mixing bowl, combine the crushed garlic and cracked peppercorns with the vinegar and bay leaves
   
2. add pork and chicken pieces. let sit in the marinade for at least 1 hour.
   
3. using a heated pan, pour in the cooking oil, fry the pork pieces until brown. add the chicken pieces and fry until brown (save the remaining marinade). remove some of the rendered fat.
4. add the water and the marinade to the pan. simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat until the meat pieces are tender or liquid has almost evaporated. taste and correct seasoning.
5. just before serving, reheat the adobo and serve hot.

i haven't tried it yet, but when i do get the chance, i'll be excited to see if it will draw up nostalgia of my grandmother's cooking. even if it doesn't, i don't doubt this would be a great meal to add to my ever growing filipino food repertoire!



oh, and let me not forget -- thanks kris. you're so great!