Adobong Kangkong
Braised Water Spinach
What is Adobong Kangkong
Not another recipe for Adobo! Hear me out, this is a delicious vegan recipe. In case this is your first time here on my blog and you are not familiar with Adobo or Filipino food. Let’s talk about what an Adobo is. It’s braised meat, seafood or vegetables in soy sauce and vinegar.
The word ‘Adobo’ is a borrowed Spanish word ‘Adobar’ meaning to marinade. When the 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.
There are many variations of Adobo now, it can be cooked with chicken, pork, beef, seafood or vegetables. Traditionally Adobo is cooked with salt and vinegar, later on, soy sauce was introduced by the growing communities of Chinese settlers in the Philippines who influenced the country’s cuisine. Before this, the brown colour came through the process of cooking. The Philippines is an archipelago, there are regional variations as well as each household and an individual’s own take on Adobo. There isn’t a right way to cook the classic soy & vinegar adobo, however due to Adobo becoming a trend I have seen some unusual ways of cooking this classic dish. For example adding sugar to the Adobo turns the dish into Humba, some popular celeb chefs added parsley too? Like why?
Here are my other Adobo recipes:P
Pork Adobo, Popcorn Chicken Adobo, Adobo Pate, Adobong Pusit and Chicken & Pork Adobo
Adobong Kangkong is braised morning glory 😂or water spinach (I prefer to call it) in soy sauce and vinegar with bay leaves and garlic. It’s an easy variation to make and perfect for those who want to eat more vegetables.
Ingredients
Instructions
Firstly, wash the kangkong, then slice the kangkong separating the bottom part from the leafy part. You will cook the bottom part first. Put them aside for later.
In a cooking pan, heat some oil, cook the onions until they turn translucent followed by garlic and cook for a minute. Next, add the bottom parts of the kangkong, cook for a minute then add the seasoning. Add soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper and bay leaves. Mix them all well, cook for 3-5 minutes and then add the leafy parts. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
The kangkong should be cooked and ready to eat, it’s best served as a main dish with jasmine rice or as a side dish with meat.
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