Ochi In The City

Kitchen Chronicles : Chicken Arroz Caldo

Kitchen Chronicles : Pork Adobo

I've mentioned several times on Twitter and I'm saying it again here, cooking Adobo is not an easy chore. And you know, for a dish that gets cooked in almost every household on a daily basis, shouldn't this be as easy as cooking any type of Sinigang?? You'd think huh, but not for me. I've been cooking Adobo since I learned how to cook and until now, I still don't have a fool-proof recipe. I just take it as it is and adjust if necessary, lol. Most of the time I end up cooking something that tastes a lot like Pork Steak, but when I really want to cook Pork Steak, I end up cooking something closely resembling Adobo. That's how tricky it is for me.

To be honest, I'm not even sure if this recipe will be of help to you. Please don't hate me lol. I'm just here to tell you what the ingredients are based on how I've eyeballed them the last time I cooked. Hehe I don't really measure my ingredients unless I'm baking so let's get it on!

Ingredients

Pork (I prefer pork belly)

Eggs

Onions

Garlic

Pepper

Soy Sauce

Vinegar

Sugar

Bay Leaf

Procedure

1. Combine the onion, garlic, pork, soy sauce and vinegar in one pot. The soy sauce is about 2 cups and vinegar is about 2 tablespoon. Bring to a boil.

2. While waiting for the pork, boil your eggs. I love eggs so I boil about 5-7 at a time.

3. Once the pork is boiling, do a little taste test and adjust accordingly. You can choose to add more soy or vinegar or add water depending on how you like your Adobo. Let it boil some more.

4. It usually takes me about an hour before I'm completely satisfied with the tenderness of the pork. Again that depends on you, but once you're satisfied, add a little sugar, pepper, salt and the bayleaf.

5. Lastly, add the boiled eggs om top of the dish. Don't cook them too long so the color of the eggs won't change drastically.

And there you have it! Now I realized why I took a break from doing recipes. I'm always always all over the place, lol. But hopefully even if I was allover the place, you understood my steps. That's the goal, ain't it. On a personal note which I forgot to add, I usually add a lot of water while waiting for my pork to come to a boil. It's the perfect Adobo saltiness for me. Before I used to purely rely the flavor on soy sauce and I'd end up getting something too salty, but you get the drift. Please hook me up with your own recipes so I get to try them as well! Have fun experimenting in the kitchen!

No comments

, by Ochi Bernadas

food diary

Food Diary : Pho Hoa

Do you agree with me when I say Asian food is the best?? I mean, even salads aren't boring when you go Asian? I've been on a Korean cooking spree in the past few months and I'm currently exploring Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. I'm addicted to Pho, I can't reiterate that enough. I've been trying to cook my own Pho at home but creating the soup is too tedious and I just don't have time for that. I've managed to create my own Vietnamese Spring Rolls though and I'll be posting the recipe soon!

I haven't been outside of the country so the closest I got to enjoying Vietnamese food was Pho Hoa and Bahn Mi Kitchen, lol--with the first one being accessible both at work and at home. I first had a taste of Pho hoa a few years back when I was in Greenhills and I immediately feel in love with the place. For the price, here's what your money can get you.

Food

I pretty much order the same thing when I come by and visit--Pho and Vietnamese Rolls, with both spring and fried versions. I love both! My Pho of choice would be Pho Chin, Nam, Gan (S - P300.00, L - P340.00) which has a combination of everything--Flank, Meatbells and Tendon. Although admittedly, tendon is my favorite of all, hehe. The dining experience is unique because we usually don't get our noodles served with a side of bean sprouts, cilantro, chili peppers and lime, right? Everytime they serve my food like that, I just get all giddy and I want to put on everything. But did you know there's apparently a ~right~ way to eat Pho? Not sure how accurate this is but you can check this video. I've been trying to eat my Pho that way since watching, but most of the time I just end up putting everything in the bowl and drowning it in Sriracha, lol.

Aside from Pho, another classic favorite I usually order would be the Fresh Spring Roll (P145.00) which has ground pork, vermicelli noodles and mixed vegetables. I was able to replicate their peanut sauce during a recent experiment and I'll be sharing the recipe for that too! I was also able to make my own Fresh Spring Roll; the process is simple but it's tedious so when I'm jonesing for a fix, I just make sure I visit the nearest Pho Hoa.

I know I still have a long way to go with regard to my knowledge with Vietnamese Food, but I think starting off with Pho is a good way to begin this journey. Do you know any other Vietnamese cuisines I could try? Please let me know in the comments section! Also looking for other restaurant recos I can visit, so please do tell. Have an awesome weekend!

PHO HOA

Budget : P200-300/person

Monday - Sunday | 11AM - 9PM

Lower Ground Floor, Ayala Malls The 30th, Meralco Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City