Oh Adobo-h!

Over the weekend, we attended a small gathering of friends. It was a potluck party so I thought of bringing Adobo and Palitaw. For those who don't know Adobo, it is a Filipino dish which is inspired from the spanish word, adobo -- to immerse raw food in a stock or sauce comprised of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar to preserve and enhance flavor.  However, for the Philippine version, we generally use soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. We have several versions as well, one with pork, another using chicken or combining both - conveniently called CPA or Chicken Pork Adobo.

Ingredients:

• 250 grams pork belly, cut into cubes
• 250 grams chicken breast and leg, cut into serving pieces
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 5 laurel leaves (bay leaves)
• 1/2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• half head of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a deep pan, place the pork belly cubes. Pour water, vinegar, soy sauce. Season with pepper, laurel leaves, brown sugar and crushed garlic.
2. Let mixture simmer for about 40 minutes or until pork is tender. Add chicken pieces and season again with soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and sugar to adjust the taste. Simmer for another 30 minutes.
3. Check to see if both chicken and pork are fork tender. Turn off heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with hot rice.