CHICKEN ADOBO

Chicken Adobo is a national dish of the Philippines. Adobo is the Spanish word for marinade or sauce and the chicken adobo marinade is a combination of soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaf and crushed garlic and peppercorns. This simple-to-cook dish is very delicious for the amount of effort required to cook it. For Filipinos just learning the art of cooking, this is usually the first dish that they tackle.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs chicken pieces
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 1 Tbsp crushed black peppercorn
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce

Preparation:

1. In a pot, put the chicken, garlic, vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorn and water to boil. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes without stirring. Remove any impurities that float up to the top of the stew.
2. Add the salt and simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken pieces from the pot, and allow any excess liquid to drain off them. The flesh of the chicken should be very tender.
4. Allow the stock to reduce until about ¾ cup of stock is left. Add the soya sauce only at the end of cooking the stock.
5. Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan. Fry the chicken pieces until they are golden brown and crispy.
6. Place the chicken on a serving dish. Make sure the stock is hot before pouring it over the chicken.
7. Serve with plain rice