Adobo is said to be the National Dish of the Philippines. It is so versatile that it has so many different variations, with every region—or even province and household—having their own version of the dish. Some use purely pork, others combine chicken and pork, contemporary versions even use lamb for it. Some cook it with soy sauce and vinegar, others stick to vinegar, a few people add achuete (annatto) to add an orange tinge and deeper flavor to the dish, yet others use star anise to give the dish an Oriental taste.
What’s even better with this dish is that it tastes better the longer you keep it. So there’s no danger of food spoilage. From one dish, you can make a sandwich or rice topping, even pasta or noodle dishes. The latest trend has the quintessential Filipino dish, adobo, in the form of adobo flakes, which can be used for various modern dish applications. Just debone the adobo, flake the meat, fry to crisp up the flakes, and the adobo flakes are good to go.
For people on-the-go, however, making adobo flakes can be quite tedious. So, Chef Peachy Cebrero of Peach&Co. Test Kitchen has made it easy for households to enjoy the gourmet delight by offering ready-to-eat AdoboKo Adobo Flakes.
Her Adobo Flakes are made with pork shoulder, vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns and garlic with skin on to add more flavor to the dish, slow-cooked for 2-1/2 hours to achieve that tender mouthfeel and flavorful taste. The Adobo Flakes come in three sizes—Small (150 grams) for Php120, Medium (375 grams) for Php300, and Big (750 grams) for Php600—with a shelf life of more than two weeks when kept in the refrigerator and more than three months when stored in the freezer.
What’s nice about Chef Peachy’s Adobo Flakes is that, aside from pick-up, it can also be delivered for a minimum fee via Grab Express, with no minimum orders required. And it is so delicious and versatile that it can be used to prepare quite a number of dishes and snack food. Chef Peachy shares some recipes in her website, www.peachandcoph.weebly.com, and here are three dishes that I prepared following her recipes—Adobo Rolls, Breakfast Adobo Bowl, and Grilled Cheese Adobo Sandwich.
ADOBO ROLLS
Ingredients
1 pack AdoboKo pork adobo flakes (150 grams)
30 pcs. store-bought dinner rolls
mayonnaise, as needed
sugar or grated cheese (optional)
Directions
1. Transfer AdoboKo adobo flakes to a plate and separate the flakes further with a fork. Set aside.
2. Spread mayonnaise on top of each dinner roll. Top with the shredded flakes. Sprinkle with sugar or grated cheese if desired.
Place in an oven toaster and toast to warm up the adobo and the bread. Serve.
Makes 30 pieces.
BREAKFAST ADOBO BO
WL
Ingredients
1 pack AdoboKo adobo flakes (150 grams)
3 cups hot, cooked rice
1 pc. tomato, sliced into rounds
5 slices cucumber rounds
1 hard-boiled egg, sliced into rounds
curly lettuce for garnish
Directions
1. Reheat AdoboKo adobo flakes in a pan for 1 to 2 minutes only. Set aside.
2. Scoop hot, cooked rice into a bowl or mold rice into a cup and invert on a plate.
3. Top with reheated adobo flakes.
4. Garnish with slices of tomato, cucumber and hard-boiled egg.
Yields 3 servings.
Grilled Cheese Adobo Sandwich
Ingredients
1 pack AdoboKo adobo flakes
8 slices white or whole wheat loaf bread
mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated melting cheese
8 Tbsps. unsalted butter, softened
Directions
1. Lay two slices of bread on a plate and spread about a teaspoon of mayonnaise on top of each bread slice. Layer one slice of bread with adobo flakes then grated cheese. Cover with the other slice of bread with the mayonnaise side facing down.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter in a pan. When melted, carefully place the sandwich in the pan. Swirl the butter around the pan so the whole bread gets coated with butter and browns.
3. Gently press down with a spatula. When bottom side of bread is golden, spread 1 Tbsp. butter on the top bread slice, then flip sandwich over and cook the bread until golden brown.
4. Repeat procedure to make four sandwiches.
Yields 4 servings.
