Book of Days Tales

Today marks the day in 1898 when the Philippines declared independence from Spain.  Sadly for the nation this was not the end of the matter by a long way, but it was a start. Neither Spain nor the United States recognized Philippine independence. The Spanish government later ceded the Philippine archipelago to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris. The Philippine Revolutionary Government did not recognize the treaty. When the U.S. sought to execute the terms of the treaty, a three-year conflict, now called the Philippine-American War, ensued. The United States did not grant independence to the Philippines until 4^th July 1946 and for a time 4^th July was Independence Day there. On 12^th May 1962, president Diosdado Macapagal issued Presidential Proclamation No. 28, which declared Tuesday, 12^th June a special public holiday throughout the Philippines, “… in commemoration of our people’s declaration of their inherent and inalienable right to freedom and independence.”

I have no doubt that at many family feasts in the Philippines today there will be adobo served.  Adobo is synonymous with the cooking of the Philippines.  But there are probably as many recipes and styles as there are cooks.  Adobo is really an umbrella term meaning that the ingredients are marinated and cooked in a sauce with vinegar as its base.  Here is a simple recipe for a chicken adobo. The key is to make sure the sauce reduces so as to provide a thick coating for the chicken.  It is usually served with plain white rice.

Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo)

Ingredients:

3 lbs (1.5 kg) chicken pieces (thighs and legs are best)
½ cup (1.2 dl) soy sauce
⅔ cup (1.6 dl) vinegar
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Place the chicken and marinade in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Simmer for about 50 minutes until the chicken is tender and sauce is reduced by half. It works well to cook the chicken for about 25 minutes with the lid on, and then take the lid off for the remaining cooking time.

Serves 6.