Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan (avoid high heat if using a non-stick pan). Place the minced garlic and stir occasionally until it turns golden brown.
- Add pork and sear it, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes. If you are living abroad and you have frozen meat, skip the searing part. Just place the frozen meat inside the pan and proceed to the next step.
- Add the water, soy sauce, and vinegar. Turn to medium heat, cover, and simmer until the meat is cooked.
- Add pepper corn, (optional) bay leaves, MSG and sugar. Pork usually releases water, so continue simmering until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Please taste and add more water, soy sauce, or vinegar if needed.
- If you want the oily style (nagmamantika) adobo, keep cooking over medium to high heat, stirring vigorously. The fat will get fried in the sauce and start releasing oil. This is the secret to fat-rendered adobo (nagmamantika). But don't overcook, or the sauce will dry out. You want the thick sauce with just enough fat oil to make it tasty.
Prolonged cooking at low to medium heat will make the meat tender. Braising dissolves collagen into gelatin, yielding meat that surrenders at the nudge of a fork.Should you prefer a firmer, chewy meat as I do, hit it with aggressive, medium-high heat. Drive the liquid off rapidly so the sauce thickens before the muscle fibers have time to break down. You will sacrifice that melt-away texture, but you will gain a robust, resilient bite with a lacquered, intensely reduced glaze.