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OVER a
few months we attended two major cooking events
dedicated solely to adobo...of all kinds, colors,
textures and flavors. It was fun going to these events,
anticipating that the word “adobo” will soon become the
culinary calling card for Pinoy cuisine all over the
world. For we desire adobo to be as popular, if not more
popular than tom yam gong, or kimchi, or sushi. Don’t
we?
Last
month, in Laurel, Batangas, we watched the National
Adobo-Cooking Championship held at the land development
of Las Haciendas in that town. I thought the event was
being held there for the simple reason that laurel is a
spice component in adobo. As it turned out, it had
nothing to do with the dried bayleaf and everything to
do with one of the country’s most prominent political
families. Still, the place was apt for a big gathering
of student chefs from many schools in Manila and
thereabouts. I was happy to see a lot of the young
chefs-to-be in a provincial event. What could have made
them interested in going this far to cook their best
adobo? It had to do with the grand prize of P50,000,
among other reasons.
That’s
quite a treat for having the best adobo. The organizers
are serious about the competition. In fact, they said
that this will be held annually in the same place, Las
Haciendas, as the developers want to make it “the Adobo
Capital of the Philippines.”
Search
for the Grand Adobo Master
THE
search was extensive and the prizes, big: P50,000 for
the Grand Adobo Master, with an additional P25,000 for
the school represented. The prizes for the runners-up
and finalists were similarly generous and encouraging.
So we
spent the whole afternoon looking at the plated adobo,
watching the nervous chefs-to-be at work, and tasting of
the presented dishes—and they were a lot, at least 25
from my count. The judges were busy passing judgment
from one plate to another as they penciled in their
scores. You wouldn’t have wanted to be in their
shoes—their palates must have been exhausted from all
that tasting, if not turned white from some salty
entries.
When it
was time to announce the winners, the students lined up
to receive their certificates. It was like a graduation
ceremony. Finally, the winners were announced and
everyone was jubilant, more so the Grand Adobo Master
Paul Jordan V. Bautista and his schoolmates and teachers
from ABE, for “Roast Pork Adobo with Coconut Ginger
Sauce.”
Here are
the other winners: first runner-up, Marie Zia Frances
Magtibay for “Batangas Classic Adobo w/ Mango-Pomelo
Salsa & Hot Chili Tomato Concasse,” Lyceum of Batangas;
second runner-up, Harold Bueno for “Adobe Ecijano,”
College of Immaculate Concepcion, Cabanatuan; Best
School Marketing (sponsored by McCormick’s Adobe Twist),
National Teacher’s College; Best Seafood Adobo, Honey
Mae Aldana for “Adobong Tanigue sa Gata,” La
Consolacion-Tanauan; and Best Exotic Adobo, Mary Grace
Paunil for “Adobong Tangang Palaka,” Arellano
University.
And
here’s the winning adobo recipe:
Roast
Pork Adobo with Coconut Ginger Sauce
Ingredients
1 ½ kilo
of roasting pork
Longanisang Lucban
1 cup
liquid seasoning
¼ cup
sukang pinakurat
8 cloves
garlic
¼ cup
chopped white onion
1 tbsp
fresh oregano
some
rosemary
2 bay
leaves
5 tbsp
brown sugar
Salt and
pepper to taste
1 cup
water
Coconut
Ginger Sauce
1 cup
coconut milk
¼ cup
heavy cream
3 cloves
garlic
3 tbsp
chopped ginger
2 tbsp
liquid seasoning
¼ cup
cooking oil
3 onion
leeks finely chopped
Procedure
STUFF
garlic by inserting it into the roasting pork. Season
the outside of the pork with salt and pepper and
rosemary. Sear the pork in a pan for 5 minutes on both
sides. Put it in an oven for 45 minutes on 350°F or
until the juice of the pork comes out clear when you
poke it.
To make
the sauce, sauté the garlic and white onion for about 2
minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the
liquid seasoning, sugar, vinegar and a cup of water and
simmer it for 15 minutes. Add fresh oregano, bayleaf and
the longanisang Lucban after the sauce thickens. Add the
roasted pork and simmer it for another 30 minutes. To
make the coconut ginger sauce, sauté the garlic and
onion together for 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk,
heavy cream and the liquid seasoning. Simmer it for 10
minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
After
simmering the pork, cut it in 1-inch-thick roast-style
pieces. Put it on a platter, then add the rest of the
sauce. Then pour the coconut sauce on the other side for
contrast of flavor. Garnish with leeks.
Nancy’s Notes
1.
Next
week, for Part II of this feature on adobo, we will
tackle the other national adobo competition, this time
held in
Bacolod.
2.
The acid
used in Paul’s adobo is sukang pinakurat, which is a
highly spiced local vinegar.
3.
The use
of liquid seasoning for meats is all right but can still
be lessened so as not to mask the true sour-salty flavor
of adobo.
4.
The best
cut for a delicious pork adobo is pork belly, or liempo.
The layering of fat is important because the melted fat
is what gives it the umami flavor.
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