Kitchen is my happy place, especially if I got to bond with my friends. It was just a random invite for lunch at my friends’ place to cook one of the favorite dishes in every Filipino home – Pork Adobo!

It is a dish that is pork as the main ingredient, cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onion, pepper, and salt. Adobo is a popular dish in the Philippines like you’ll find it in every region with a different way of cooking Pork Adobo. Some used Chicken, while others mixed both meat, so it becomes “Pork-Chicken Adobo”. While our version is Spicy Pork Adobo.

After we cooked, I realized it’s possible to still get the Filipino taste of Pork Adobo even if we don’t use the soy sauce & vinegar that we normally used in the Philippines. I understand that being abroad, it’s not always easy to get our Philippine brands. So I’m happy to know that we can cook our famous “Adobo” using any brands readily available in the kitchen. Thanks to our friend Chef Jojo, not officially a chef but we love calling him “Chef” since he cooks well.

Spicy Pork Adobo

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo pork belly
• 3 tablespoons garlic minced or crushed
• 1 Medium Onion chopped
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper or peppercorn
• 2 Red Chilli Pepper
• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste
• Cooking oil
• Sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Combine the pork belly, garlic, onion, pepper, soy sauce, and vinegar then marinate for at least 30 mins to 1 hr.
2. Put the marinated pork belly in a cooking pan, add the water then bring to boil. Simmer it for 40 mins to 1 hr or until tender.
3. Once tender, separate the pork belly and set aside the sauce.
4. Heat the pan and add the cooking oil, then fry the pork belly for few minutes or until it extracts oil from fats. Add the set-aside sauce, simmer for 10 to 15 mins.
5. Add salt to taste. You can adjust the taste by adding vinegar too. Adding sugar if you want a hint of sweetness (optional).

Serve hot with steamed rice.