The photos don’t do the dish much justice, but the flavor was a knockout! I did an earlier post on “Balsamic Vinegar” from Ilocos made from duhat, and one of Marketmanila’s readers, trishlovesbread, suggested that I might try it with adobo. So I did. And since today is the “trek to cemetery day” and adobo is a perfect dish for a picnic, I thought it would be appropriate to feature it here. Marketman is a HUGE adobo fan. I like it somewhat soupy, with a syrupy boiled down sauce, with soy sauce or without, first boiled then fried and served with a reduced sauce, with chicken, with pork or with both… shredded and re-fried for pan de sal…you name it, adobo is truly one of my all-time favorites and I have featured several variations in the past…
To cook this version, simply throw some cubed pork into a pot and let it render some fat over medium heat. Then add the classic adobo spices in 
proportions you prefer…garlic cloves whole or smashed or chopped, bay leaves, peppercorns, some add onions, some water, soy sauce and the duhat vinegar. Boil this until the meat is one its way to becoming tender, then add chicken pieces and let this all boil until done. You can serve it this way, or if you wish to hasten your departure from this increasingly overcrowded planet, take the meat pork and chicken out and fry it in hot oil either coated in some flour or naked. Then boil down the remaining sauce and serve it almost as a gravy. In this first attempt, my sauce all boiled down before frying and there wasn’t much left at all… not to worry, the adobo, was incredibly flavorful. The duhat vinegar made a noticeable difference and despite just 30 minutes of cooking, the meat had a depth of flavor typically achieved with hours of stewing. The balsamic vinegar turned a syrupy sweet but it wasn’t cloying and provided a tremendous fruity note. Definitely a keeper of a dish. Now I know how to use the rest of the bottle of duhat vinegar… many thanks to Trish for the wonderful idea!
18 Responses
That looks really good! My adobo has two different soy sauces (a Japanese-style light and a Chinese-style dark one) and two different vinegars (a brown rice one and a Chinkiang vinegar). This seems like overkill, but blending these sauces seems to support the strong characteristics while minimizing the weaknesses of each.
Despite the burnt look, the adobo looks yummy! Guess only those who truly are dedicated adobo lovers would appreciate the goodness behind the blackish outer layer. I also use both the light and dark soy sauce but only try to use coco vinegar, which suits the recipe I got from an Adobo fantast. Now, I can experiment with a not-so-expensive balsam vinegar and when in Manila, will try to find Duhat vinegar. Would MM recommend where to buy this?
Rowi, I have a post on the vinegar a few ddays ago, and where it is available. The adobo is “burnt” beause it was fried after it was stewed…it didn’t taste burned at all, however…
i hate to admit this but i don’t know how to cook adobo :(
and even if i try, it doesn’t look or taste like adobo
Wow, what a novel way to cook adobo. I shall try this variation…now where to get duhat vinegar in the U.S. ….
will regular balsamic vinegar have the same effect? same comment — no access to duhat balsamic. looks yummy!
Adobo with a new touch sounds very good and a new appeal – more on dark color. I love adobo with fried rice showered with garlic or in pan de sal – my own take of adobo roll. When I make adobo after I boil it with the adobo mix, I fish out the meat and let it cool. Then I bake in a preheated 350 degree oven to dry it out a little bit and brown it and put it back in the adobo mix and let it cool for another 20 minutes for a creamy sauce. Now the duhat balsamico suka is a new shining star and writes its own ticket to fame. I think reduction will greatly improve its taste, quality and look. The flavor of the duhat will be strongly intensified and will be great in salad, atchara and chutney too. You are a great innovator! I will follow your trail. Thanks a million for this tip.
i also love adobo–but just pork adobo. i’ve tried many times to cook the perfect adobo to no avail, kaya i let our cook do it nalang. she does it best. often we have her cook mongo guisado to go with it.
parang i can taste the adobo in that picture, sweetish-savoury, sticky sauce on the chicken and pork. yummy.
I love adobo that dark… makes me remember the way my mom cooks it when we were kids.
uber-adobo!
Heehee…an adobo dish with my name on it! I’m thrilled that it turned out well. Now I know what I want sent from Manila. :-)
Wow, that looks mouthwatering! I’m not a fan of traditional adobo, but adobo flakes is one of my favorites and my bro-in-law makes a version with achuete and mushrooms that’s I enjoy too. This duhat vinegar take sounds like something I’d love –the combination of fruity sweet, sour, garlicky, fried = YUM! And I do love those “burnt” bits…
My gourmet version of adobo uses balsamic vinegar and rosemary =)Expensive adobo as my friends call it. I shall look for that duhat vinegar and try it out:D
I found the adress of where to buy the Duhat Balsamic Vinegar, thanks MM! Market! Market! will be a well-visited place as I have already a list of exotic things to buy for my trip to Manila, among them Navarro’s Premium Crab Paste, soooo good!
Hi!
I don’t live in the Philippines but I wish I did – what great food! Your website features the best recipes ever!! They make me feel so satisfied just to read. And they look pretty yummy too, especially the adobo – why do you say the photo doesn’t do the dish justice? I think its a great pic. Btw, what’s adobo?
Anjali, adobo is a classic national dish made by stewing pork or chicken in vinegar with spices and occasionally with soy sauce. If you follow this link, you will see better photos of my other versions of adobo from earlier posts…
Bought the Duhat balsamic vinegar last week from Salcedo Market and tried it with adobo …. Terrific! Thanks MM for this new spin on the basic adobo! Love your blogs.
Hi, I also bought the duhat balsamic vinegar from a seller in Salcedo Market. I was surprised it was P170! I was not prepared at all having read that you just bought it for P100. The seller said they probably sell it for 200 or more in Market!Market!. I was reluctant to go to Fort just to buy a bottle so I just gave in. My adobo turned out great, 1st time it did actually! Let us know when you can find some other use for the duhat balsamic vinegar. Thanks!