adobo vs estufao

i never heard of the actual use of the word estufao until adulthood. it was rare that i ate home-cooked Chamorro food growing up, unless we were at a fiesta.  i grew up in Yigo and this should explain my fiesta know-how.

the one and only chammoro dish my dad would cook religiously is kadun pika (pika is the Chamorro word for spicy - the donne-infused version of adobo) because he was so damn good at it.  it wasn't until i dated a Chamorro family that I finally ate estufao. and when auntie-someone served me estufao for the first time the first words i quietly uttered under my breath were "this is adobo". actually it was "trying to be adobo" were my exact words. i am finding that my chamorro brethren would get offended.  there is really no arguing that adobo is the signature filipino dish.  from what i understand, both are chicken stew and many variants can be applied - for instance some add ginger, achote, curry powder, or coconut milk for different iterations.  in almost every recipe of estufao i've read and witnessed, it is definitely more soy sauce centric than adobo, which should have more vinegar than soy sauce.  the genesis of this dish is having the vinegar act as a pickling agent, preserving the chicken and all that flavor. the soy sauce might have been added much later for color. in fact, i've seen versions of a "blonde" adobo, using no soy sauce at all! there may also be the added step of sauteeing the garlic or browning of the chicken beforehand.  these steps can be skipped if you are looking for something with work.  some people prefer to just throw all the ingredients into a pot and let it stew to perfection. my mom taught me the critical step of uncovering the pot at the end to let the sauce reduce and thicken. this also carmelizes the sauce over the chicken so you get a nice glistened piece of chicken when eating it with freshly-cooked white rice (a must!) when the adobo tempers, you get a gelatinous sauce that retains all the flavor in time for repeat reheating!

the recipe below is classic adobo.  and just like every native recipe, there are going to be thousands of versions with slight deviations. the recipe is that sequence that i've ritualized. i prefer to use apple cider vinegar because it's earthiness.  white vinegar is definitely acceptable and the common choice. i think adobo was originally concocted as a way to prepare a stew less prone to spoil and can be eaten for days.  refrigeration was an early luxury that works well for adobo. as it cools, the sauce turns into a gelatinous glaze that almost serves as a preservant.  the vinegar and garlic will continue to marinate the meats even after cooking and some argue eating adobo days after first being cooked is much more richer. 

stewing beef, spare ribs, short ribs, pork shoulder, or pork belly are all acceptable substitutes or additives for adobo. however, i could write separate blog entries for so many variations. for instance: i like to add bell peppers to beef adobo, tomato paste to pork adobo, and sometimes chicken liver or potatoes to any version. see, how versatile adobo is - it is filipino ingenuity in the kitchen at it's finest.

adobo is paired perfectly with atchara - a popular flipino side dish of carrots, ginger, and papaya pickled with vinegar and sugar.

RECIPE

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

3-4 garlic cloves

1/4 onion

whole chicken, cut into parts

4-5 Peppercorns

2-3 Bay leaves

1/3 cup soy sauce

1. Sautée garlic and onions over medium heat until translucent.

2. Add chicken parts and brown the chicken over medium-high heat.

3. Add vinegar, water, soy sauce, peppercorns, and bay leaves and reduce heat back to medium.

4. Keep covered until the chicken is cooked through 

5. Uncover and simmer until the sauce is thickened and glazes over the chicken. if you like "soupy" adobo you can add more water after reducing.  the reduction helps with getting a nice carmelization over the chicken.

if preferred “dry” , pan-fry the cooked meat after reduction and pour the reserved marinade when browned.