Sometimes, you just hit the jackpot — a dish so common and comforting, but done in a novel way yet with all of the familiar notes that tickle your tastebuds. This version of “adobo rice” which we cooked in a segments of fresh bamboo was a slam dunk winner! I have cooked rice in bamboo before, see these previous posts here and here, and they all turned out well, but this adobo version was to die for.
It is a pain in the ass to make. Mostly because there is no chance I would be able to craft the cooking vessels myself. One of our crew members comes from “the farm” and is extremely adept with a bolo/machete and without his help, this dish wouldn’t have been attempted. First, start off with a fresh piece of bamboo, preferably one that had just recently snapped off and still had several segments of bamboo that were usable. In other words, we didn’t even have to kill this blade of bamboo. :)
Cut the bamboo into sealed segments. We tried to be smart and cut three consecutive segments, thinking this would reduce the wasted bamboo, but this is not something I recommend, as the middle segment has difficulty heating up as much as the end segments. Essentially, you have to cut in between nodes of bamboo, ensuring you have a whole segment that is still hermetically sealed.
Isoy crafted little bamboo sticks that would be used to hold the “covers” of the segments open while they were filled with rice, water and other ingredients.
Using a very sharp machete, fairly large openings or covers were cut into each segment of bamboo. This particular bamboo, from our own backyard, was incredibly THICK and the knife work required was more intense than usual. If I were doing this, I would have less fingertips and typing on my keyboard would be a problem… :)
I then measured the volume of each bamboo segment (they vary as you head up the pole and segments get smaller) by pouring water through a funnel into each section and determined that they were roughly 5, 6 and 7 cups of volume within each section. I then put the adjusted amount of rice (a cup of dry rice expands to roughly 2.5 cups when cooked) and water into each segment.
For the adobo rice experiment, I took about 1/2 kilo of slow-cooked adobo Marketman style, and the cooks chopped this up into small cubes of meat. We then used some lard, sauteed some chopped onions and garlic and added the cubed adobo, fat included to the pan. I seasoned this with some kikkoman soy sauce, as my previous experiments had yielded bland and pale rice… so despite going through the trouble to make old-fashioned adobo with no soy sauce, I was now adding some good soy sauce to the mix. I also added in a big pinch of homemade dried siling labuyo flakes. Lots of cracked black pepper and added this mixture to the rice and water in the bamboo… the stuffing process was a bit cumbersome, but doable.
Tie the segment up with abaca twine (which is very resistant to heat) and place the bamboo just over some very hot coals for about 1-1.5 hours, depending on the heat of the fire and thickness of your bamboo. If you want to speed this process along, I suggest you start with some very warm or hot water in the segments to jumpstart the cooking process…
Snap off the “cover” and voila! Adobo rice in bamboo. The rice was infused with the flavor and oil of the adobo… the meat was generously proportioned to the amount of rice and it was moist and tasty. The little bit of chili had blossomed in the long slow moist cooking so the dish was a touch spicy, but only enough to make you want to eat more. Slam dunk I think, and all of the crew devoured two whole sections of bamboo within seconds. We also made another section with sisig and our homemade bagoong, visible here in the right-hand side of the photo above. It was okay, but a bit bland. I should have put a bit of soy sauce and much more bagoong in that one to ramp up the flavor… The next time you find yourself on a camping trip near a stand of bamboo trees, you may want to try your hand at these versions of bamboo rice…
We have toyed with the idea of offering bamboo rice in the restaurants, but I wanted to do more authentic outdoor versions, cooked over charcoal, rather than the ones that are loaded, probably semi-cooked or cooked into split bamboo and cooked/heated in a commercial steamer… Problem is, no one would wait 1.5 hours for their order of rice to come if made the old-fashioned way. :)
42 Responses
Maybe offer it as a special of the day….make a whole kaboodle say for instance 10 to 15 to begin with. Pag-naubos na. that’s it!!!!…just like the crispy pata lechon!
I just might do this one of these days but will make it using soaked corn husks (with the corn removed0 and grilled as well…maybe cooking the rice first part way and finishing it on the grill. I think it just might work with the water droplets present in the water soaked corn husks forming steam which will finish cooking the adobo rice!..whoa…carb overload! Thanks for the idea, MM!
an hour and a half wait? hmmm … maybe one should call first? the photos remind me of a time in subic where they demo the use of bamboo for survival. it looks easy enough if only one is an expert in handling that very sharp knife …
I remember a jungle survival course I attended, taught by aetas, in the Subic forest. This is how they recommend cooking in the wild, when all you have is your bolo.
couldn’t bear to look at the fourth picture – am scared for the fingers! have long wondered about this dish but didn’t even know where to start. thanks for doing this, MM…we eat vicariously through your experiments! (the mere fact that you each node needs a different measure of water is dauunting enough!)
Maybe you can offer this in your special events space menu since you’re already outdoor anyway. But I think you still have to cook this in advance so that it’ll be close to cooked by the time guests arrive.
And they thought it was hard finding the Higg’s boson!
Josephine, even after my wife tried to explain the dummy’s version of Higg’s boson, I still didn’t get it. :)
What do you do to prevent the bamboo from rolling to the side and spilling the contents?
That’s quite good and thick bamboo you have. Do you also harvest the shoots? Would it help shorten the cooking if you dry the bamboo a bit before using, or doe this lessen the flavor of the adobo rice?
hi there! i’m not really much of a foodie but i REALLY appreciate your blog. i also couldn’t help but think how lucky you are to have such a wonderful crew – and how nice a boss you might actually be.
I’d love to do this, but given the fact that there’s no bamboo in sight and I’m a one-man team in the kitchen, I don’t think I can pull this off. :(
But it really looks good!
Reminds me of a team building exercise where, after being dragged out of bed at 4:30 a.m., we were told that we had to use whatever we could find to cook our breakfast. I lucked out, as someone on my team knew how to cook in bamboo.
Never found out where he got the bamboo, but it did take about an hour.
@Gej – the risk of dried bamboo is the thing actually catching fire (first-hand experience, see above). We kept the thing from rolling over by wedging the bamboo between some stones. And yes, dried out bamboo yields less flavorful rice.
MM, I think I prefer the sisig, except I have to cut down on that, too. So sisig is reserved for days when I’m feeling rascally (it’s not my semi-vegetarian diet, but doctor’s prescription, sigh).
Ms. BettyQ, you gave me an idea of cooking with the corn husk. Yes, it will be rice adobo wrapped in “dry” corn husk (just like what the Mexicans use for Tamale), then steam cook it. Ummmmm…..
I was googling for a specific black bamboo that I can purchase there in Pinas (I wanted to plant some in our farm in Quezon Province). The place is in Cainta. I was so amazed that this nursery carries so many varieties of bamboos.
Anyway, there are specific variety of bamboo that is use for cooking this way. I guess because its thick and “hollower” inside. And there are some just for decorations. I’ll make sure I buy the one that is for cooking, so I can replicate what MM just did.
MM – you have one such lucky crew to be benefactors of your ‘experiments’.. though working with you could be exacting as you request dedication and competence from your them (as could be gleamed from your posts), i find it to be interspersed with fun and more importantly, kindness.. i woulldn’t mind to be in their shoes…… more power to you and your crew!
Nakakagutom naman ito. My “healthy” breakfast of apples, yogurt and walnuts is not going to cut it.
My family hasn’t eaten rice for a while due to a paleo diet experiment. After seeing this, i just want to drop out and run to the store and get me some rice and adobo ingredients.
Hay, I think I will just drink lots of water.
Ok…Stewart, CWID, La Emp, Mrs. P, Fards et al…I found the bamboo!…fresh from the farm, just need to have someone cut it for me. It is long so we can split the bamboo if anyone wants to try MM’s adobo rice in bamboo. But the soaked corn husks worked! We had leftover curried chicken day before yesterday so I added some rice…cooked it partway in the rice cooker first…only half way through….stuffed the soaked corn husks, tied it with a strip of corn husks and the rest of the body with twine like lubid! …You guys should have seen me last night…grilling late at night! ..To prepare the corn husks, make slits starting at the tip of the corn …2 of them then the 2nd one about 2 inches from the first line so that you have a vessel that is narrow enough forming like a boat! Can you picture it? Then with your paring knife, make slits at the base of the corn all around the cob and when you think it is deep enough, gently snap the cob…. remove the corn cob very carefully! Soak the husks in water for about 20 minutes. Then start stuffing. Shape the husks again like a corn and tie with the lubid (available at dollar stores/ hardware stores). DO NOT PIK PIK the corn husks. You need the water droplets to from steam inside the corn husks while barbecuing. Grill on medium heat. I took about 20 minutes more on the grill. To make the propane worth your while, grill about 10 of these so you have leftovers! I can guarantee you it will taste better the next day. To reheat, just steam them.
This will make an awesome dish to bring to a picnic at the park and I think will disappear first! Again, thank you MM for the inspiration!
MM….remember the Tropical Hut hamburger near Times St? My dad usually would take us and my nephews too ages ago. It was a taste I still remember and have tried to clone it. I think I have succeeded. So, if you want to try it…here it is! equal parts of ground beef ( I used extra lean for that it was on sale) and then I added equal parts of ground pork. I figured the ground beef was too lean that is why I added ground pork and also so the taste is not too beef-y. I must have used a total of 2 kg. ground meat. Then I pulsed about 2 cups of onion till finely minced but not pureed….and soaked about 6 slices of whole wheat bread in about 2 cups of milk(for cost effectiveness, Tropical Hut must have used white bread). Everything in a big bowl. I added 2 pouches of onion soup mix, about 10 to 12 shakes or swirls of Lea and Perrins, 3 shakes of Maggi seasoning, salt/pepper, a little sugar, 8 large brown eggs, the soaked bread without the milk (squeeze them) Mix everything and throw the mixture against the sides of the bowl…take a handful and throw it against the sides and keep on doing it until it comes together. I know this may sound funny but I usually SMELL the mixture to see if it is seasoned enough. When in doubt, let it sit for a few hours in the cooler and pan fry a tbsp. or so. Adjust the seasonings if needed. I let the mixture sit overnight so the flavours get all acquainted. BY then, it should smell onion-y, with a hint of the Maggi, a whiff of the Lea and Perrins.
Now from what I remember, the store smelled of hamburgers while grilling on the flat top. So, I tried both pan frying on a non stick skillet and barbecuing it. This time, the boys preferred the pan fried ones. I have to admit, the taste is closer to the Tropical Hut burgers than the barbecued ones. But I still preferred the hint of smoke on my burgers! If anyone wants to barbecue this, make sure your grill is well-oiled. The mixture is not as stiff as the regular burgers one makes…but you can adjust the consistency by adding less soaked bread.
Now, the clincher is to serve it with WS Triple-O sauce…mayo, sweet relish, some seafood cocktail sauce, some chili sauce (not the oriental ones but the ones that look like catsup), a pinch of sugar. This is as close as I can get to the Triple O sauce. Instead of the usual lettuce, tomato, etc. I made coleslaw and topped the burgers with it! I sent my youngest son to buy iceberg lettuce and he came home with Savoy cabbage! It turned out to be a good mistake! The coleslaw turned out to to be a better topping than iceberg lettuce!
Bookmarked!
I fear for the fingers of those who would try this with fresh bamboo. I thought about using power tools but then I think re-sealing the bamboo would not be as “hermetically sealed” as how MM did. But maybe it should be ok since it is the fresh bamboo oils that need to be infused into the rice anyways.
We have a grilling party tomorrow so I’ll try the dried corn husk technique that bettyq shared. (nice to see you again in the comments bettyq!) And maybe also try a “fresh corn husk” version since corn is in season now.
On the topic of bamboo, I had a friend who shared that bamboo is quite an invasive species and crowds out the local flora after a number of years. And because of just the way it grows and propagates, it is almost impossible to eliminate bamboo once it has a foothold in a specific location.
Now I want to go to Abe, which I haven’t been to in years…except that I know their version (which I’ve tried and liked) wouldn’t compare to yours. Sometimes, MM, you make me wish I were part of your crew! ;-)
Mart: in the bamboo families – there is the clumper and the runner. Runner is more evasive. With the clumper, you can plant some flower bush close but with little distance to your bamboo “clumps”; but with the runner, even though some of nearby plants are about 1 feet apart, you’ll have new bamboo shoot-up so close to the root of the neighboring plants.
Ebbbbbaaaaaa! …i had an AHA moment just for you while driving over to my in-laws a few hours ago. Since you are the QUEEN OF Gata DISHES in TX, I think it would be so masarap if you made BINAGOONGAN WITH GATA and serrano peppers or adobo with gata… then make your PIN-TEX (Pinoy Texan) tamales with rice and binagoongan…CARB OVERLOAD AGAIN!!!!!!! Ok…I am getting carried away again!
Ted….if you want to try bamboo version…Craigslist…farm and garden category and then type in search engine TIMBER BAMBOO. That is where I found the bamboo over here. …not cheap! But I figured, out of 1 long pole, I can make about 10 segments at the most for it tapers at the top! Each pole is about 30 feet high!
Finding the “proof” of the Higgs boson existence is that it proves the Higgs field to exist. So, next question is what is the Higgs field. The universe is made up of particles. The Higgs field is what gives these particles mass. Having mass produces gravity. Without mass, there is no gravity, and no universe. Maybe oversimplifying it but using baking as an analogy – the universe being the cake/pastry; the flour, yeast, and other ingredients would be the particles the universe is made of, and the Higgs field is like the egg(s). It gives the flour body and sort of keeps the ingredients together to make the dough. Your next question would probably be how it’s discovery/proof would matter to us all; well, scientists are hopeful that among possible scenarios are to help us find and develop technology in new and unlimited energy sources and production, instant communication over vast distances across the galaxy, and who knows what else in transportation to the stars.
Hope that helps a little bit.
tercer, good grief, that DOES HELP A LOT. I feel like I failed my physics class and had a session with a really good tutor. Honestly, now I know, and that took only a few sentences… Truly, thanks for that. Science is obviously not my strong suit… :)
EbbaBlue: Thanks for the info! Clumpers and runners… Google provided some nice links and pics. I’ve seen clumpers in real life before but I always imagined bamboo like the runner-types from watching kung-fu movies (with the kung-fu masters flitting through the groves of bamboo ala Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon).
@ Tercer: Yes, thank you for that simplified explanation. I spent a lot of time yesterday reading up on this when one of the comments here mentioned it. :D
Maraming Salamat, Tercer , for simplifying lahat…saves us a lot of time and energy!
Mart…si Ebba nag suggest ng tamale style adobo rice in dried corn husks. What I did was the fresh corn version. We had this for supper using slow barbecued chicken like PNE bbq’d chicken. I made a simplified version of Java rice…gisa garlic, onions in oil and when caramelized, add the rice granules. Stir so the rice will be coated with the flavoured oil. Add some bottled spaghetti sauce and a bit of catsup. Stir and then add the water just like when cooking rice. Put everything in rice cooker and cook halfway only. Then spoon the homemade Java rice in the corn husks. As MM mentioned, do not overstuff. Less is good for the rice will still expand. Then top it with slices of the barbecued chicken. I used boneless chicken thighs and chicken breasts (brined it first!)….grills faster! when done, I tucked the top corn husks underneath on a plate. I made peanut sauce and brushed it over the chicken slices. Serve with pickled Japanese cukes with radishes and carrot ribbons.
Maybe have different fillings for your bbq party. I hope it is bbq weather where you are!
Be sure you allow 2 stuffed corn husks per person. Kulang ang isa…BITIN!!!!!
Thank you, Tercer. Been puzzling over the article on the Higgs boson, your word picture explanation helps me understand it a little bit more. Everything else is mystery.
Hey MM! I’ll be happy if you serve this soon in your menu?
Glad to be of some help. I just hope I didn’t oversimplify too much with the cake analogy but I thought since this is a food blog, foodies would probably better understand it in a more familiar context.
yum, this looks really good. i have yet to have anything cooked in bamboo. thanks for the post and hope to see some more food posts. if you like korean food, visit https://www.oliviajasonkim.com. we are always looking for more asian inspiration. ^^
olivia kim
Mart, you’re welcome.
Ms Betty….ayyyyy…tama ganyan ang gagawin ko, ginataang adobo chicken n rice tamales…what a treat. Pulos mexicano pa naman ang friends ko na lagi kong nilulutuan ng adobo. Yey…. thanks…
bettyq and ebbablue… in corn husks, brilliant! Have to try that, and if successful… who knows, maybe a new dish for the restaurant with your permission… :)
bettyq, just re-read your tropical hut hamburger comment. I lived VERY CLOSE to that Tropical Hut when I was in the single digits age-wise… :) I think the tropical hut hamburger had/has a little bit of soy sauce, and yes, some sugar as well to get that unique taste. Pinoy burgers evolved from there and eventually to Jollibee today, that outsells McDonald’s locally…
MM….DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know that it works for I have done it 3 days in a row now with different toppings/fillings!!! Another tip….make sure that in doing the fresh corn version, after carefully peeling that 3 to 4 inch strip of corn husks all the way to the bottom of the corn (here there is ALWAYS about 1 to 2 inch stem at the base OUTSIDE of the husk), leave about only 1inch with corn attached to the base INSIDE …with the tip of the knife, use the tip to make dents through halfway the corn and up to half the diameter and carefully snap with your hands laying it on the counter. It doesn’t matter how long the stem attached to the corn OUTSIDE of the husks is. But inside the husk, leaving only 1 inch of corn attached to the bottom end is a must!
The inch base with corn attached to it …so when you reshape the corn with stuffing in it, ….it holds its shape !
BUT IF I WERE YOU, BETTER GET A HEADSTART ON IT BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE CLAIMS THEY STARTED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even here, I know of NO food establishment who serves this to date!!!!!!!!!!! I could be wrong but even in popular food blogs, i haven’t come across it yet!
I forgot MM…best part is, you waste nothing…CORN HUSKS as a vessel for your stuffed adobo or sisig rice…the corn cob made into MM’s corn chowder!
Tercer, THANK YOU for that layman’s explanation! I read about the Higgs particle and struggled to understand it, but couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Science interests me greatly, but I simply don’t have the mind for it. And MM, please don’t feel bad about not getting it either; your head is brilliant for finance, business, and such, while my brain, on the other hand, goes into color bars (a metaphor which dates me, I know) whenever people talk about money! That is one of the reasons I’ve never had anything but a simple savings account — just thinking about investments, interest rates, etc., paralyzes my brain cells! ;-)
MM, Ebba…since you can just go to the kapitbahay or in your case, MM….your backyard, I think using the bamboo leaves as vessel or container will work. I only have access to the dried bamboo leaves which takes quite a bit of prep work since they are dried….soaking it, cleaning each leaf after, boiling it in water to make it more pliable and kill the cooties, then I can use them to make my MIL’s jungtz. I figured, maybe you can use the fresh bamboo leaves which abound there. You need to clean each leaf first, then boil in salted water to make it pliable. I don’t think it would be pliable if you singe it first. I would try it to let you know but not one of my kapitbahays has bamboo plants. Now, if your want to try it, get bamboo leaves …the widest you can find (about 4 1/2 inches at eh widest point if good) and about 2 ft. long . After dunking it in boiling water till pliable, pat dry. Lay 1 leaf on counter, then the from the left edge of the leaf, lay the second leaf about 2 inches from the left edge. the object of the game is to make it wider. Fold in half, and from the left edge, fold it in about 1 to 2 inches so you have a seam and cup that folded leaves in your hand. I am right handed so I cup it on my left hand. That way, seam will not let the filling ooze out. Can you picture it? Now, take another leaf and round it about the seam making sure the edge of the added leaf is resting partay on the folded edge like inside the cupped leaf…if you need another leaf (if your cupped leaf is not wide enough)…start filling it. In this case, I think using Japanese rice to make it a bit sticky is good….malagkit is too heavy on the tummy! When done filling…for this size of finished triangle, about 5 tbsp. rice is good plus your topping pa! Then when done, fold the right edge of the leaf to make a tight package. With the package still on your left hand, use your right hand to gather the edges including the top…lalo na the top and then starting from the top , fold it down towards the bottom to make a neat package. Ask Isoy to cut the twine about 1 yard. I use ordinary twine here. Wrap it around the triangular package. Now, when I make my jungtz, I use malagkit, raw, seasoned. But in this case to speed up the cooking process, cooking the Japanese rice halfway in rice cooker is good! This way, the flavour will not be diluted by STEAMING IT rather than dunking it in boiling water like the Chinese jungtz!
Another option …maybe using singed banana leaves and shaped like embutido…good idea? if you have those Pringles containers, cut it to desired length, then roll your banana leaves several times and tie one end with something then put it in Pringle container and start stuffing , tie at one end… then steam…or cook near the lechon while being roasted.
I googled it if using fresh bamboo leaves is toxic but then I figured, dried bamboo leaves have been used for ages by the Chinese to make these sticky rice packages.
Also, maybe if you want to make the fresh corn stuffed with your adobo or paksiw and lechon!…I think parboiling the whole corn husk and cob in boiling salted water for just a few minutes will make the husk more pliable while still retaining the green color.
MM: affirmative, tiyak ko papayag si Ms. BettyQ for you to try the adobo tamale in corn husk at your restaurant. Naku ikaw pa, tiyak instant hit ito.
I told my american husband about it, excited siya. His comments is that it will be a good idea for potluck. Medio matrabaho nga lang, kaya my idea is to prepare the mix rice adobo, then let my mexican friend wrap/roll it for me (tamale style) and siya na rin ang mag-steam. Wala kasi akong malaking steamer eh.
Wow, what a fusion – –
Fresh corn are in season dito…wowee… 6 pcs for a dollar. Off ako this Friday, so ayan… gagawin ko two ways – fresh husk and dry husk. Same mix. Ms. Betty, thanks for your idea. And of course, MM, thanks din for giving us all these wonderfull “ala Marketman” dishes.
Naku, Ebba, MM….can you imagine what could be the outcome of all of this? I can see mechado tamale for you Ebba, even paella, MM…inside the fresh corn husk and tamale style , too! Ok…sumasakit na ang ulo ko with all these things spinning in my head!…even Millet’s shrimp with the salted eggyolk sauce. I can also see XO fried rice …endless possibilities, MM!
I think I will keep on doing the fresh corn husk for potlucks and picnics in the park or beach!
You started all of this, MM…so MARAMING SALAMAT PO!
Ebba…remember if you use the fersh corn husk, medium heat on the propane grill for you put the heat in high, masusunog agad the husk outside. Medium heat will make tthe husk slightly charred giving the stuffing a hint of smoke….just a hint and with a faint taste of corn from the oils in the husk I guess, exuded when the husk is subjected to heat.
I have an abundant of “siling labuyo” from my 3 huge pots; so what about adobo-gata (w/wo bagoong) topped with 2/3 whole chiles (for color) for the Pinoy Mex tamale… ayyyyy naku, naka-ka-excite. It will infuse just a hint of heat. Pwedeng tanggalin if preferred.
I remember my Nanay & Tia puts boiled pilaway (pili nut) as a topping for the “Quezon-tamale” they make. (Wrapped in banana leaves.)
Alam mo Ms. BettyQ, as I am salivating and spinning (too) with these ideas.. first come to mind is the “spanish rice” (yeah probably paella) wrapped in fresh corn husk. Whoa.. what a presentation.
To Tercer, MM, et. al: to simplify the importance/purpose of such discoveries?
To make Star Wars, Star Trek, etc a reality! Watch old episodes and find out which “technologies” are applicable now (40-50 years later)…
awesome exchanges you guys got. im drooling from my mouth to the pants. corn husk is a lovely idea to cook variations of boiled rice.
that’s why i always read the comments, they make me less stupid as when i woke up this morning! :)