Adobong Kangkong (Water Spinach Adobo)

Back when I was young, there was this TV commercial in the Philippines of a school boy reciting a poem about kangkong (water spinach) which became so popular with the tagline, "Ang Kangkong, Bow". That commercial was one of those launched by the Philippine Department of Health in its effort to promote healthy eating among school children. It specifically tells about the nutritional benefits of kangkong --- how rich it is in Vitamin A which is needed for good eyesight. Kangkong wasn't one of my favorites...and that commercial was like a wake up call for me. I was only in grade school that time, and my mom was already wearing eye glasses. She couldn't read nor sew without it...and I knew that I don't want to be like her. I always want a 20/20 vision so I told myself if that's what I want, I better eat lots of kangkong...and that's what I did! Little did I know that time that the Vitamin A content of kangkong is actually very little which is only 2.9 mg per 100 g. Oh well, no regrets! I'm still thankful to that commercial...at least I learned to eat kangkong which is rich in protein, calcium and Vitamin C, though not as rich in Vitamin A as I expected it to be. 

Kangkong is a widely spreading vine that grows on land and water. The land-grown type has long, narrow leaves with pointed ends while the water-grown has broader leaves. It can be found throughout the Philippines in stagnant streams, fresh-water swamps, and ponds. Filipinos mainly used the shoot tips and leaves of kangkong in sinigang, but it can also be cooked on its own. It can be steamed and served with bagoong (shrimp paste)...or it can be cooked adobo-style like this...

This is a very simple and easy way to enjoy this nutritious greens...all you need is soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and onions. Just do a little sauteing and you'll have a delicious and healthy vegetable dish in no time. I usually cook it with ground pork just to encourage my daughters to eat it...but it can be cooked with no meat at all. It can be served with rice and fried fish/meat or with rice alone. 

Chicken Strips Adobo Sandwich

I don't know about you...but I sooo love stew. Just like any other typical Filipino, I love eating it with rice...but I also enjoy eating it with rolls and bread, especially the leftover. Whether it's beef, chicken or pork stew, making a sandwich filling out of it always excites my taste buds. I remember that when I was little, whenever we have stew for dinner, whether its adobo, afritada, estofado, kaldereta or menudo, I would always ask my mom to make me some stew filled pandesal or pandelemon for breakfast the next morning. Sometimes, I would even bring them to school for snack. Even now, I still love that kind of sandwich. During our road trips, I would usually cook adobo or menudo the night before then stuff them in buns. My family consider it as a very yummy on-the-go meal!

For this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge, I found the perfect chance to share one of my family's favorite stew sandwiches with you. Thanks to our host, Louie Yan of East and West for choosing "Filipino portable bites offered by food trucks" to be this month's theme. Here in the US, I've only seen food trucks when we were in NYC. If I am to find one here in Texas, I would love if they have Filipino food like those in California...and how I wish they have this Adobo Sandwich!

It looks so good, right??? If there are food trucks selling this here in Texas, I'll definitely be a frequent customer! And if someday I'll have my own food truck or Filipino fast food restaurant, this Chicken Strips Adobo Sandwich will be one of our house specials! This is no ordinary sandwich, I tell you! It has the goodness of the Filipino all time favorite adobo plus the yummy combination of egg and cheese and the added spice of Jalapeño pepper and onions! 

Though I enjoy any kind of stew, adobo is my most favorite because it is the quickest to cook and it doesn't require much ingredients. For the sandwiches that I prepare for our trips, I usually use shredded leftover pork or chicken adobo, but for this post, I used freshly cooked chicken breast strips adobo with Jalapeño pepper and lots of onions. Chicken breast cut into strips cook a lot faster so this will be perfect for on-the-go meals like this.

You should try it! I'm sure you'll love how tasty and filling this is!

Adobong Sitaw with Tofu

When it comes to Filipino cuisine, I can say that adobo is the most versatile dish. You can cook adobo with almost anything...from seafood, poultry, pork and even vegetables.

Adobong Sitaw (String Beans Adobo) is the most common vegetable adobo dish in the Philippines. It is basically string beans cooked adobo style, i.e., with garlic, onions, soy sauce and vinegar. Many cook it with pork to give it a meaty taste, but it is optional. As for me, I always cook it with pork so my kids would eat my adobong sitaw. But if you are a vegan, you can cook it without the pork. I also add tofu most of the time. I just love tofu so much that I want to include it in my recipes whenever possible. 

If you love string beans, this recipe is for you! :)

* I shared this on What's Cooking Wednesday,  What's on the Menu Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday.

Prep Time: 10 mins               Cook Time: ~30 mins                Servings: 4                       

Ingredients:

• 2 bundles string beans
• 1 cup pork strips
• 2 pcs. tofu, fried and cut into strips
• 1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. vinegar ( I used spicy white vinegar)
• 3 Tbsp. water
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• salt

Pork Adobo

Last Friday, I posted Adobong Pusit recipe. Today, I’ll be sharing with you another variety of adobo which is Adobong Baboy (Pork Adobo).  Pork Adobo is simply pork cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic. This is a very popular dish in the Philippines because of its ease in preparation.

There are different variations in cooking pork adobo. I’ll share with you some regional versions like the Batangas Adobo which makes use of atsuete (annatto) or  dilaw (yellow ginger) instead of soy sauce and Bicol Region’s Ginataang Adobo (Adobo with Coconut Milk) in my future posts. For now, let me share with you the most common and simplest of all pork adobo recipes I know. I got this from my mother who loved cooking her pork adobo with eggs. My daughters love it so much! Whenever we have this kind of adobo, they don't talk so much and they finish their food really quick. I'm not sure if it's really the pork adobo they like or they just love eggs! (^.^)

*  I Shared this recipe on Friday Potluck @ EKat's Kitchen.

Prep Time: ~40 minutes         Cook Time: ~1 hour          Servings: 4-6                           

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 1-1/2" cubes
• 9 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium-sized onion, sliced
• 2 pcs whole dried bay leaves
• 1 cup vinegar (I use ½ cup regular and ½ cup spicy one)
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• salt to taste
• 4 eggs, hardboiled and peeled (optional)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Adobong Pusit

I didn't get to eat enough squid from our Valentine's dinner --- my daughters love calamares so much and they ate almost all of it. So I thought of cooking squid again last night. But not calamares anymore. I cooked adobong pusit (squid adobo).

Adobo is a Spanish word which means seasoning or marinade. In the Philippines, it refers to the popular dish and cooking process that involves meat or seafood marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and other spices then browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.

Pusit (Squid) is the most common seafood that can be cooked with adobo method, and adobong pusit is the quickest-to-cook adobo dish. Pusit is done in less done 10 minutes and medium-sized squid can easily absorb flavors so in cooking adobong pusit, there’s no need for marinating.

If you are using fresh squid, your squid adobo will have purplish-black sauce due to the inclusion of squid ink. Since fresh squid is not available here in our area, I used frozen squid so the sauce is just brownish like other adobo dishes. You can use any kind of squid for this recipe, but small to medium sized squids are better because they are more flavorful compared to large ones. Just be sure not to overcook the squid to preserve the tender texture.

Adobong Pusit is the most popular way of preparing squid among Filipinos. It’s really good! Try it!

Prep Time: 10 mins          Cook Time: 15 mins.          Servings: 4-6                                 

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs small to medium sized pusit (squid)
• 1 small bay leaf 
• ¼  tsp. peppercorns
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• ½  Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 3 stalks green onions, cut into 1 ½ inch length
• 1 Jalapeño, seeds removed and sliced into rings(optional)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1.Clean the squid. When I’m cooking adobong pusit, I don’t remove the squid's skin. Neither do I remove the innards. I just remove the beak (which is a bony piece of inedible cartilage that it is located at the base of the tentacles) and the thin transparent cartilage from the body of the squid. Carefully remove the ink sac and set aside.

2.Wash and drain bodies and tentacles. Some cook the squid whole. I like cutting them into bite size. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. In a saucepan, sauté garlic in 2 Tbsp oil over medium heat until light brown. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add squid. Stir fry for a minute.

4. Add the ink, fish sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaf and peppercorns. Mix well and cook over medium low heat for 5 mins.

5. Add sugar and salt to suit your taste. Add Jalapeño and green onions. Cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve with hot rice.