There was a time when I over-thought making adobo.

I seared the meat first; cooked the pork and chicken separately; added honey; added mirin; added sesame oil; put in two whole heads of garlic. I watched a lot of stupid YouTube videos that claimed they had the ultimate adobo recipe.

Again, you always reference your memories, of how your dad for example, made it. And the fact is, I never really watched him prepare it. How I thought he made it was most likely something my mom or my sister told me. So you go by taste, making it over and over until you do get it. But I realised that I probably won’t; that it’s like chasing a ghost.

So I’ve made my peace with it and have decided, that I will make it the way I like it.

So Tuesday’s Adobo, is Ryan’s adobo.

Ingredients
-Chicken pieces, drumsticks and breast with skin (about 700 grams total)
-A whole head of garlic
-peppercorns, fresh bay leaf
-butter about 50 grams
-half a cup vinegar
-half a cup Kikkoman soy sauce
-teaspoon of brown sugar

Method
Sear the chicken pieces until brown. Add vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaf and let simmer until it’s almost all evaporated. Add butter and garlic cloves, letting the chicken fry in it for a bit. Add soy sauce and cover. Let simmer in low temperature for about 30 minutes. Uncover and raise the temperature until the sauce thickens.