Name: Pork adobo with liver sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 6 to 8
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 kilograms pork belly (skin on); 1 whole garlic (crushed); 1 tablespoon peppercorns (crushed); 2 bay leaves; 1/2 cup vinegar; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 5 whole chicken livers (with the hearts); 1/4 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup vinegar; fried toasted garlic; 2 tablespoons finely sliced onion leaves

Adobo — the dish that singlehandedly brought Filipino cuisine to the attention of the world. A salty, sour and spicy stew, it derives its uniquely strong flavor and heady aroma from the combination of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, pepper and bay leaves.

Pork belly, with the rind (skin), is traditional for cooking adobo. If you have access to good quality pork, choose pork belly with the thinnest layer of fat. The marbled fat is what makes adobo what it is but there is no reason why you can’t cut down on the amount of fat. Other pork cuts may have even less fat but too little fat, or none at all, will affect the texture and quality of the cooked adobo.

Traditional recipes include chunks of liver but I now prefer to puree the liver to create a thick and rich sauce. For an even more exotic experience, I garnish my adobo with toasted garlic bits and finely sliced onion leaves.

Pork adobo with liver sauce

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: to 8

Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 kilograms pork belly skin on
1 whole garlic crushed
1 tablespoon peppercorns crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce

For the sauce

5 whole chicken livers with the hearts
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
fried toasted garlic
2 tablespoons finely sliced onion leaves

Instructions

Place the pork cubes in a wide shallow pan, add the crushed garlic, crushed peppercorns and bay leaves Pour in 1/4 cup vinegar.
Set the heat on high and bring to the boil without stirring.
Cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the pork starts to render fat.
Stir and cook until the edges of the pork start to brown.
With the heat still on high, pour in 1/4 cup soy sauce and about a cup and a half of water.
Bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer the adobo for an hour to an hour and a half or until the pork is very tender and the liquid considerably reduced.
While the pork simmers, boil the chicken livers in 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1/4 c. of soy sauce. Then, lower the heat, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Cool.
Put the cooked livers in the blender, pour in the cooking liquid and process until smooth. If you prefer a more textured sauce, mash the livers in the cooking liquid by hand with the use of a fork or vegetable masher.
When the pork is done, add the liver sauce. The sauce will be thick so you may have to scrape the sides and bottom of the blender.
Stir the liver sauce into the pork mixture. Cover and simmer for another five minutes.
To serve the adobo, transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle the garlic bits on top followed by the finely sliced onion leaves.

Comments

Alisa
07/29/2009 at 10:45 pm
Wow!I just had dinner but this is making me so hungry! I wonder if this will work with canned liver spread.And oh, I love your step-by-step photos!!! kakagutom talaga!
Connie
07/30/2009 at 8:49 am
Alisa, yes, canned liver spread will work too although there will be a difference in taste because liver spread often contains sugar and MSG.
- Eve
  07/30/2009 at 1:23 pm
  What kind of vinegar you are using?
  - Connie
    07/30/2009 at 2:03 pm
    Cane vinegar.
  - Eve
    07/31/2009 at 2:11 pm
    I can’t find cane vinegar, any other vinegar that I can use?
    - Connie
      07/31/2009 at 3:50 pm
      I’d say any except cashew vinegar. Where are you anyway?
      - Eve
        08/03/2009 at 4:31 pm
        I’m from Malaysia. Commonly I can find
        black sweet vinegar and white vinegar.
Faith
08/02/2009 at 4:01 am
Is adobo an original Filipino dish?
- Connie
  08/02/2009 at 11:01 am
  The way it’s cooked, yes. Despite the name.
happy joy
08/03/2009 at 1:12 pm
Ms. Connie, gumagamit ba kayo ng processor sa pag-chop ng bawang? or ma-tyaga lang kayo? May technique ba? :)
- Connie
  08/03/2009 at 2:18 pm
  Mezza luna.
  - happy joy
    08/13/2009 at 12:41 pm
    Thanks Ms. Connie! hehe, nag-google pa ko..
ekusinero
08/13/2009 at 8:23 pm
Hi Ms. Connie, i think this adobo is superb especially the browned garlic. Garlic adds flavor and aroma to the food. I love adobo but with those garlic, i love it more!!!
aida guzman
08/19/2009 at 12:04 pm
this soooooooo yummy..i mashed the liver.
thanks connie.
Athena
10/02/2011 at 1:33 pm
Hi ms. Connie, can i use chicken liver instead?
- Connie Veneracion
  10/02/2011 at 5:52 pm
  Did you read the recipe…?? Even the pics show that I used chicken liver.
  - athena
    10/21/2011 at 6:23 am
    ay.. sorry, naexcite kasi ako. i’ll cook this for lunch. :)

Pork adobo with liver sauce