Hi, everyone! How are you guys doing? Work is pretty hectic so I thought of squeezing in a not-so-new recipe as a reward for making it halfway through the week, yay! During the weekend, the boyfriend requested for Adobo. Since it was a weekend and we can splurge on rice all we want (thank cheezus for cheat days!), I gave in. Adobo is also y ultimate comfort food. I was under a lot of pressure during the weekend as I had to decide about tons of "Adult stuff". Adulthood, why are you so difficult. Creeeey.

Adobo is a very tricky recipe for me. It may seem so simple but it will stab you right back once you taste it, because all of a sudden, it doesn't taste like the one that your Mom used to make for you. I don't know if that was just me but, I had to learn at the expense of wasted chicken, soy sauce, garlic and vinegar. Normally, I would combine everything in a pot and just let it simmer until everything is cooked. But I saw a recipe online wherein instead of simmering the chicken, they would fry it first. I wanted to try it because maybe, just maybe, that's the secret so it'll taste like the ones that Mama used to make. 

• Chicken (I prefer thigh and leg quarters)
• Soy Sauce
• Vinegar
• Pepper
• Salt
• Eggs
• Chili Flakes or Red Chillies
• Garlic (a looot!)
• Potatoes (optional)

1. Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, pepper and garlic. The recipe that I found originally instructed 3hours but since I didn't have the luxury of time, mine was in the marinade for about 20-30mins. 

2. Fry the chicken in medium low heat. No need to put in a lot of oil because natural chicken oil (if there is such a term) will eventually come out. 

3. Once all the sides have been cooked to perfection, add the marinade and let it simmer for about 3-5mins. Add water if necessary. 

4. After 3-5mins, add your vinegar and chili flakes and simmer for 2 more minutes. 

5. Top with hard-boiled eggs and serve with hot rice! You can also add more chili flakes if you want it to be more spicy!

Notes

• As you can see from my photos, it didn't look too pretty because I kept on stirring and turning the chickens over and over--I suggest you don't do that. 
• The recipe that I found also had bay leaf, but I didn't have any so I had to make do with what I have. I also haven't use bay leaf in my previous Adobo dishes. I wonder if that's the secret. Hmmm.
• Before, my flavors would rely solely on vinegar and soy sauce until I discovered the wonders of  salt and pepper, LOL.
• In my previous attempts, I would add the eggs while simmering my chicken. This would make the white part a bit chewy on the outside and I don't like that. So this time, I boiled my eggs separately and just added them after I was done with everything

I don't know if I really did good on this one or the boyfriend didn't want me to feel bad about myself, but he told me he really enjoyed it and that I was 'getting there'. I also don't know where 'there' is, but hopefully it's 2-3 practices away. My thoughts? It was okay. Not the perfect Adobo but I'll get 'there'! I actually had 2 cups of rice while having this. Hahaha! 

So, in my pursuit of finding the perfect Adobo recipe, I need your help! Do you have any certain technique when you cook Adobo? If you do, please please please share them with me. I might just add bay leaf next time but I'm not sure if that'll fill the gap.

Hopefully you had fun reading my mishaps in the kitchen, my own wonderful laboratory. Enjoy the rest of the week and don't forget to take a breather! A big fuck you all could be of help. Haha! Toodles!