There is such a thing as getting tired of too much adobo. Hubby grew up eating adobo almost every day of his young life that by the time we got married, he already has an aversion to it. There is just something about this favorite Pinoy dish that he doesn’t like so I made it my mission to develop the taste that he will accept. There is no perfect adobo–just the perfect adobo recipe for a family. Since it is our anniversary week, I am sharing my adobo recipe with you. Read more about what made the difference.

The Preparations to Come Up With the Perfect Adobo Recipe for Hubby

The kids and I love chicken or pork adobo and I feel sad that whenever this is prepared at home, hubby doesn’t eat it. He would either just munch on something or skip the meal altogether, saying that he is on a diet.

So I had to start investigating. He said that when they were younger, his sister like soy sauce-based dishes, which is why adobo was often prepared at their home. When he went to college in Cebu, the family there also cook adobo everyday for the whole family and the stay-in staff. After all, it is easy to make, stays long, and is a universal favorite.

But not hubby. Being an adventurous eater, he wanted to savor different tastes and textures–not have the same thing day in and day out. He is not rude or unkind but he would just politely decline it if adobo is served.

I asked him what he didn’t like. He said that he’s not fond of the flavor and aroma of bay leaf as well as the vinegar. Instead of vinegar, I made this with cooking wine. However, I could not omit skip the bay leaf because adobo is just not complete without it.

The Perfect Adobo Recipe for Our Family

This adobo recipe is quite a compromise so that everyone is good with it. I designed it this way because I am bent on serving one-dish meals at home in order to tighten the family budget.

Ingredients:

• Cooking oil
• 1 head garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 kilo pork belly, sliced into cubes
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Cooking wine
• 3 Tbsps. catsup
• 1 big onion, sliced
• Thumb-sized ginger, sliced
• 2 pcs. bay leaf
• Sprite that’s enough to cover the meat
• 1 onion, sliced into rings (for the next day)

• Read: Health Benefits of Ginger

Procedure:

This kind of adobo needs to be prepared beforehand, at least a day before. It makes the pork more flavorful and it lasts longer, too. You can cook a big batch beforehand and just reheat a portion when needed.

• Heat cooking oil and fry half of the garlic. Remove from the oil and stir in the pork slices.

• Add the soy sauce, cooking wine, catsup, onion, ginger, bay leaf, and Sprite. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 30 minutes. Transfer into a container, let it cool, and refrigerate.

• When you are ready to eat the adobo, take it out of the fridge for about 2 hours before reheating. Transfer the contents into a non-stick Maifan stone pan and cook again over low heat until the sauce becomes sticky.

• Mix in the onions until wilted.

The family loves this with steamed white rice. And finally this is the kind of adobo recipe that the hubby likes! Try this, too, and let me know how it turned out for you.