Adobo Seco
USD $8.50 – USD $46.00
From the Philippines, to Puerto Rico, to Mexico, and many locales where Spanish ships passed, there is Adobo.
The story of Adobo is a complex one. The word is of Spanish origin, and the Spanish have had a long tradition of preserving food with high acid (vinegar) and salt, which they called ‘en Adobo’. During their colonial era, Spanish ships flourished in the high seas from the Philippines to Central and South America.
On the other hand, there is strong evidence that the indigenous civilizations of the Philippines evolved the method of cooking and preserving with acid and salt independently and for a long time as well. When the Spanish landed in the Philippines, they saw what the indigenous were cooking with acid and salt, and declared “oh this is like our Adobo!”.
In its simplest concept, Adobo could be savoury, sour or citrusy, and possibly spicy. In the Far East, in the Philippines, where the cooking ‘en Adobo’ evolved independently of the Spanish tradition, this meant cooking with vinegar and salt, mainly to preserve food better. Filipino Adobo is therefore cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, peppercorn and ginger for a zingy full flavour, while also better preserving the food cooked within due to the high antimicrobial qualities of the Adobo marinade.
The Spanish carried Adobo on their ships to the New World. There, in the Far West, Adobo met the New World chile, and citrus peel was also added for extra brightness.
Our take on the tradition of Adobo hopes to pay due respect to all wonderful cultures around the world that brought it to light for the rest of us. Our Adobo Seco is hot, savoury, sour and citrusy. It begins with the complex chile flavours of favourite Mexican chiles (Ancho, guajillo, and pasilla), the smokey depth of chipotle, and the fruity zing of arbol. We savour in it a sunny celebration of Chile and Citrus, the latter being provided by lemon peel and toasted orange peel. To celebrate the tropical native people in the Far East who cherish this dish, we add ground green mango (amchur), and sumac. They add tropical flair and zesty sourness.
There are “wet” and “dry” versions of Adobo, and you can do both with our versatile blend. While salt is also normally part of the blend and cooking tradition, we keep it out of our Adobo Seco to accommodate everyone’s needs. So remember to salt to taste your dry or wet adobo.
Our dry version of Adobo means you can make a fresh “wet” adobo, or paste, as needed while preserving the rest fresh in its dry form for later use. To make “wet” adobo, crush 2 cloves of garlic into 2 TBL of olive oil and 1 TBL of lemon or orange juice. Add 2-4 tsp of our Adobo Seco, salt and stir. For a milder version, also add 1 TBL of tomato paste, chopped parsley or cilantro and a bit of water. After making the basic wet adobo use your imagination: from marinades, to dips, BBQ, spicy Mexican stews or classic wonderful Filipino Adobo, albeit with more bite from chiles.
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