Basic Adobo Sauce Recipes

ADOBO SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Remove the stems from the guajillo and ancho peppers and remove the seeds. You may need to cut into the peppers for this, which is fine.
• Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and dry toast the dried peppers a couple minutes per side. They will become more pliable and slightly puff up. This helps to release the oils for more flavor.
• Place the dried pods in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Soak them for 15 minutes, or until they become very soft and rehydrate. Transfer the softened peppers to a food processor, but reserve the soaking liquid.
• While the peppers are softening, heat olive oil in a medium pan and add the onion. Cook it down for 4-5 minutes to soften.
• Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute, until you it becomes fragrant.
• Add the tomato paste, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, sugar and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
• Stir in 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the mixture to the food processor along with the softened peppers and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh water, or you can use the dark liquid from soaking the peppers. Process until smooth.
• Adjust with salt and sugar to taste, and with a bit more water until you achieve your desired consistency. Strain if you'd like a thinner sauce, or use as-is.

EASY ADOBO SAUCE

Steps:

• Wipe off any dusty crevasses on the chilis using a damp towel. De-stem and de-seed the chilis, but don't worry about getting rid of every last seed.
• I put the chilis in a 400F oven for 1-2 minutes to awaken some dormant flavors; you could also flash them on a hot, dry skillet for 15-30 seconds in place of the oven.
• Add the chilis to a bowl and cover them with hot tap water. Let them reconstitute for 20-30 minutes. If they float to the surface you can use a small plate or bowl to keep them submerged.
• Drain the chilis and add them to a blender, along with the remaining ingredients listed above. Update: I've been adding 2-3 chipotles in adobo lately for some heat, but you can consider this optional.
• Combine well; ideally you want a thick, paste-like substance so we are adding just enough liquid to get there. If it won't combine you can add another splash of water.
• Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge. It should also freeze quite well.

FAMOUS CHICKEN ADOBO

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, then remove. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook until they soften and brown, about 6 minutes.
• Pour in vinegar and soy sauce, and season with garlic powder, black pepper, and bay leaf. Add the browned chicken, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.

FILIPINO CHICKEN ADOBO

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, combine the first 6 ingredients. Add chicken; refrigerate, covered, 20-30 minutes. Drain, reserving marinade. Pat chicken dry., In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken. Stir in water and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink and sauce is slightly reduced, 20-25 minutes. Discard bay leaf. If desired, serve chicken with cooking sauce.

HOMEMADE ADOBO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast the chiles, turning frequently, until very pliable and soft; do not allow to char. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Remove the stems and seeds and place in a saucepan. Add enough hot water to just cover and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, remove from the heat and allow chiles to soak until very soft and plumped, about 20 minutes. Strain in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and reserve soaking liquid separately.
• In a blender, combine the chiles, the onion, garlic, salt, sugar, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, and vinegar and puree until smooth, adding a little of the chile soaking liquid (only as much as is needed) to enable the mixture to blend. The consistency should be thick but smooth. Cover and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

BASIC ADOBO RECIPE

Steps:

• Toast the chiles in the oven for 2 minutes or until fragrant being careful not to burn.
• Place the toasted chiles in a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil on medium heat covered for 15 minutes.
• Place the chiles (stems removed) in the blender reserving the water they were inches Add in all the other ingredients and blend on high to make a fairly thick paste. Add some of the reserved water if needed to thin the sauce out.
• Marinate your choice of meat in this paste for 6-8 hours and then grill the meat or you can pour the paste and reserved water in a large stock pot with the meat. Add additional water to cover the meat and slow cook it for 3-4 hours in the pot.