Adobong puti, or “white adobo” is a variation of the more traditional adobong baboy that uses “toyo” or soy sauce to give it it’s salty taste. As a result, this variant is noticeably “whiter” as the name implies.
The best ingredient for adobo is pork belly. During the slow cooking process, fat is rendered and the meat is cooked with it. You are then left with pork that is infused with rich garlic taste with a crispy texture.
Whenever I cook this dish, I make sure to have plenty of calamansi in the pantry for the marinade.
Simply squeeze out a handful of calamansi juice and sprinkle some salt to even out the acid. The acid will also help tenderize the meat. Add the meat in the bowl. Throw in some crushed garlic and give it a good toss. Keep in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
When the pork has marinated, place the meat in a hot pan and start frying until it turns golden brown.
I actually prefer to sear the meat before braising. It adds a little bit of flavor and makes the meat look pleasing.
See the brown crust in the pork belly? Looks yummy already!
Add the vinegar and let it simmer without stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the remaining ingredients – water, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Stir in the crushed garlic from the marinade.
Cover the pan and bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. Bring the heat to medium-high then uncover the pot to completely reduce the sauce.
And there you have it… adobong puti.
Adobong Puti
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork belly / shoulder, cut into cubesĀ
- 6 cloves garlic crushedĀ
- 1 tablespoon kalamansi juiceĀ
- 1 tablespoon cooking oilĀ
- 1/4 cup vinegarĀ
- 1 cup waterĀ
- 2 bay leavesĀ
- 1 teaspoon black peppercornsĀ
- 1 tablespoon saltĀ
Instructions
- Marinate the pork. In a bowl, combine pork, crushed garlic and kalamansi juice. Sprinkle with salt, cover and chill at least 30 minutes.Ā
- When ready to cook, heat a medium pan or pot with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the pork and shallow fry the meat pieces until brown. Set aside the crushed garlic and excess marinade.Ā Ā
- Add the vinegar and let evaporate until the liquid is almost gone. Add the remaining ingredients – water, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Stir in the crushed garlic from the marinade. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of pan as the liquid mixture comes to boil.Ā Ā
- Cover and let it simmer until the pork is tender. Uncover, bring heat to medium high and continue to simmer until all liquid has evaporated and pork has rendered fat.Ā
Leave a Reply