Chicken and Pork Adobo

Adobo is deservedly the most popular dish in the Philippines. Traditionally accompanied by sweet pickled green papaya called “atsara” and white rice, adobo is a great example of the “saucy comfort foods” that make up so much of the Filipino menu. Always slightly sour, due to being cooked in vinegar, the umami of adobo can be enhanced by adding extra soy sauce or coconut milk.

Ingredients

1/2 pound (250g) chicken, cut into serving size
1/2 pound (250g) pork or pork belly with skin, cubed
1 bay leaf
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut or cider vinegar
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tsps rock salt
1/2 tbsp annatto oil

For annatto oil

1 cup corn oil
2 ounces (60g) annatto seeds
*(Annatto seeds, the dried pulp of the fruit of the achiote tree, have a slightly sweet, peppery flavor and are used frequently in Latin American and Southeast Asian cuisine.)

Directions

For annatto oil

Heat the corn oil until very hot.
Remove from the heat and add the annatto seeds.
Once the oil is bright orange, strain the oil and discard the seeds.

For chicken and pork adobo

Marinate the meat in soy sauce and vinegar for 30-60 minutes.
Combine the meat, marinade and all the other ingredients in a casserole, on a medium heat.
Cover 2 and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered.
When the meat is almost tender, pour in the annatto oil and continue cooking to thicken the sauce (45 minutes approximately).
Serve with fried garlic bits if desired.