Serve this healthy pork adobo recipe with rice to get every last bit of the flavorful sauce.
This dish gets better as it sits, making it a perfect make-ahead candidate for effortless entertaining.
For me, a Filipino immigrant, adobo is not just a dish, it is an identity.
Photo: Yana Gilbuena
I didn’t realize how much I would miss the home I left.
Desperate for a lifeline, I cooked.
Adobo was my go-to dish.
It is designed to be a set-it-and-forget-it dish.
And it gets better the longer it sits.
It gives the sauce time to permeate the meat.
One pot of adobo would be my meal for at least a week.
To understand adobo, one needs to understand the historical timeline of the Philippines.
It has been embedded in the Filipino palate to lean on the vinegary flavor profile.
Other dishes and cooking styles feature sourness too, like a soup called sinigang.
And there’s paksiw, which is another style of cooking food in vinegar.
Adobo has evolved and morphed with the times.
To say that there is one adobo to rule them all would be a disservice.
Within the 7,641 islands in the Philippine archipelago, no one adobo is like another.
Each is deeply rooted and dependent on the place, terroir and the palate of the person cooking it.
And that’s really the beauty and draw of this dish, isn’t it?
Adobong dilaw (yellow adobo) gets its distinct yellow hue from turmeric.
Adobo continues to evolve as Filipinos are flung to different parts of the world in search of better opportunities.
Rinse spareribs under cold water and pat dry.
Slice the meat between the bones into individual ribs.
Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
(Adjust the heat to prevent the bottom of the pan from burning.)
Transfer to a plate.
Repeat with the remaining ribs.
Return the ribs to the pan along with the tamari mixture.
Bring to a boil.
Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a serving platter.
Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl (discard solids).
Carefully skim off and discard the fat.
Pour the sauce over the ribs and sprinkle with scallion and fried garlic, if desired.
Tips
To make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Althoughcane vinegaris made from fermented sugarcane syrup, it’s not sweet.
It is fresh, light and less sharp than other vinegars.
It’s a staple throughout Southeast Asia and parts of India.
Use it in marinades and dressings or to make pickled vegetables.
Find both at Asian markets or online.
To prepare fried garlic: Place a fine-mesh strainer over a heatproof bowl.
Heat 1/3 cup canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
Pour the garlic and oil through the strainer.
Transfer the garlic to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Reserve the oil to use on salads.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
