Adobo
Pressure Cooker Series Episode 3: Adobo – Chicken Cooked with Soy Sauce and Vinegar
What is Adobo
The word ‘Adobo’ is a borrowed Spanish word ‘Adobar’ meaning to marinade. When Spaniards came to the Philippines, according to the book Memories of Philippine kitchens by Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, a dish braised with soy sauce and vinegar already existed and they named the native dish Adobo because it resembled their adobo. If we are going to get technical, the original Adobo didn’t have soy sauce. It was only when the Chinese introduced soy sauce to the Filipino people that we started cooking Adobo with soy. Originally it was cooked with salt and vinegar as a base. As an archipelago, each region has their own version of adobo and each household has their own take on Adobo too.
As you may have noticed in my blog, I already posted a few recipes of adobo. Can you imagine how many adobo recipes 1 household might have and how many recipes the whole of Philippines might have? Crazy!
This recipe is part of the ‘Pressure Cooker Recipes’ series. It’s for busy families and busy bees who don’t have much time to cook but still love home-cooked food. I hope you will enjoy this recipe!
Swap it and Common Questions
Soy Sauce – I say Filipino soy sauce because it really makes a difference, the food tastes more authentic and it’s just better okay!
Vinegar – Again it’s just better to use Filipino brands for this, you can use Silver Swan or Datu Puti. Those are available in the UK so no excuses.
Can I add potatoes? Yes most definitely! We love adding potatoes too, this is just a basic foundation of an Adobo recipe (by all means not basic in flavour though) and it’s up to you to make it your own. Build it from my recipe.
Can I add coconut milk? Yes you can, In Zamboanga they add coconut milk in their adobo too. If you do add coconut milk, add 1 can of concentrated milk (can) or 100ml coconut milk. Don’t add anymore water so your adobo doesn’t end up becoming a soup.
Pressure Cooker Series
Episode 1: Kaldereta – A Tomato Based Hearty Beef & Liver Stew
Episode 2: Bicol Express – Pork Belly Cooked in Coconut Milk (mildly spiced)
Episode 3: Adobo – Chicken Cooked with Soy Sauce and Vinegar
Episode 4: Pancit Lomi – Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients apart from the onions and mix all together until the meat is covered with the sauce and aromatics. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or preferably longer. You can do this stage the night before too.
Set your electric pressure cooker (EPC) to saute, heat some oil, add the onions and saute for about a minute. Add the chicken without the sauce and cook on each side. Then add the adobo marinade into the chicken. Pour some water until all the meat is covered.
Add the lid, set the pressure cooker to chicken or custom for 20 minutes.
Open the lid safely and follow the electric cooker’s safety instructions. Take out the chicken and place them into a bowl or container. Leave it on the side for later. Press cancel and press the saute function of your electric pressure cooker. Let the sauce simmer for 5 until the sauce has reduced a little. You will notice a line on the side of the pot. Don’t reduce it too much as it will turn too salty.
Add the chicken back into the sauce and cook for 3 minutes. Now it’s ready! Adobo is best served with rice.
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