I looooove Adobo sa Achuete!
Be it pork, chicken or almost anything. The delicious mix of flavours of the oil, vinegar and garlic is often makes my adobo cravings and the meat is just secondary.
Well, sort of. But if the meat preferably chicken is sort of fried a bit but still tender and comes right off the bone... extra rice, please!
Well, sort of. But if the meat preferably chicken is sort of fried a bit but still tender and comes right off the bone... extra rice, please!
And here's a recipe for Chicken Adobo with Achuete and one can tweak this recipe to suit his own taste and/or with the availability of ingredients especially those with limited sources.
Ingredients
- 10 pieces chicken drumsticks ,
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup vinegar,adjust
- 3 Table spoons annatto/achueye seeds
- 5 big cloves, minced
- 2 pcs laurel (bay leaf)
- 1 tsp peppercorn
- Pinch of salt
- Oil
How to make Chicken Adobo in Achuete
- Marinate the chicken in vinegar, garlic, laurel leaves, pepper corn and salt . Set aside for at least an hour
- In a pan, boil then simmer the marinated chicken for 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a separate pan heat oil then add annatto seeds. Mix for about 3minutes until oil turns orange.
- Remove adobo sauce from chicken, add (regular) oil and give it a quick saute (in more garlic) or stir fry.
- After frying, remaining adobo sauce and annatto oil and simmer for another 3 minutes.
- If you want a more saucy adobo or the sauce isn't that much you may add more vinegar. Make final taste adjustments.
- Serve with rice.... lots of it!
As I always say, the measurements just serve as a guides in the recipes. You can tweak according to your taste or incorporate your own style and ingredients.
This one has no soy sauce but you can add if you like. Sometimes instead of vinegar, I used tamarind powder (sinigang mix) (sometimes with gabi) for more flavourful adobo.
You can also used annatto powder which is more convenient in cooking. No need to mix in oil, just sprinkle bit by bit, teaspoon at a time to get your desired color. Do not overwhelm since powdered annatto affects the flavor more than the seeds cooked in oil.
So are you ready to cook you own adobo in achuete? Enjoy!