Step 1

You can see the step-by-step photos above.

Step 2

Place the soy chunks/mushrooms/tofu skin in a heat proof bowl.

Step 3

Pour in boiling water water to completely submerge the pieces and then cover these.

Step 4

Leave to sit for 10 to 15 minutes or until doubled in size. Squeeze out the excess liquid and then wash through running water. You can opt to slice the tofu skin and mushrooms into smaller pieces.

Step 5

See notes below on prepartion for other protein options.

Step 6

If using potatoes: Peel the potatoes then slice into 1” cubes. For the potatoes, I usually soak these in water while I prepare the other ingredients to prevent them from turning brown from exposure to air.

Step 7

Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add in the oil. When hot, sauté the onion and garlic.

Step 8

Add in the whole black peppercorns.

Step 9

Afterwards, add in the protein that you're using. Pour in 1/2 cup vegetable broth/water, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce and 1-2 tbsp vinegar first. Leave to simmer to a boil over medium high heat. The protein will absorb the sauce. You can easily adjust to your desired taste as you go.

Step 10

Once it boils, add in the potatoes, if using. Taste the sauce and add another 1-2 tbsp soy sauce and 1-2 tbsp vinegar if needed. If the potatoes have absorbed the liquid, you can add 1/2 cup more water.Taste the sauce and mix well. Potatoes absorb a lot of liquid and will absorb the seasoning too so you will need to taste and season more later on once the potatoes cook.

Step 11

You can cover your pan and leave the protein to cook. These will soak up the sauce and seasonings too, and leave to cook the potatoes until tender to your liking, around 10 minutes or longer. Add an additional 1-2 to 1 cup water, if needed, to cook down the potatoes.

Step 12

Season with more soy sauce and vinegar, if needed. Do note that adobo tastes better a days (even days) after cooking so leftovers taste better than when freshly cooked since the protein and potatoes continue to sit in the sauce and soak in the flavours.

Step 13

You can add in some sugar, if desired, to counter the acidity. Add in the dark soy sauce (if using) for colour. Mix well.

Step 14

Serve and enjoy your adobo with some Sinangag (Fried Garlic Rice) --homemade recipe here or plain rice. Enjoy!

Step 15

Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or even longer.

Step 16

For freezing adobo, I would suggest to freeze adobo WITHOUT potatoes since potatoes change in texture when frozen and thawed.