Saturday, March 6, 2010

LAMB ADOBO

Adobo is a popular dish in the Philippines. It is basically meat marinated and cooked in vinegar. There are a lot of variations or versions to this ubiquitous dish depending on where you come from. In the southern part of Luzon, adobo usually is a mixture of vinegar and coconut milk while in the Visayas region, adobo is sometimes called humba,  and usually cooked with soy sauce, vinegar and little sugar.  Although, for Cebuanos adobo means fried pork  PRITONG LIEMPO .

A typical adobo is either pork, chicken or a combination of both. Check my Chicken and Pork Adobo Recipe . As i mentioned Luzon, Laguna to be specific cooks adobo, which is called Adobo sa Gata. It is beef cooked in vinegar and coconut milk. Seafoods, like shrimp or squid are great for adobo as well.

My nephew, Vincent "got me" when he asked me if i've tried making adobo with lamb. Funny because I love to experiment on foods but lamb adobo never crossed my mind, maybe because lamb isn't a common meat of choice to us Filipinos. Growing up, i don't remember seeing lamb in the meat section of the market, it was always pork, beef, chicken sometimes goat but never lamb.

Well, my family especially my daughter love lamb and i've cooked lamb in many different ways so, i don't see any reason why lamb will not be good for adobo.

Anyways, i promised my nephew that i'll make it.  I used my Chicken Pork Adobo recipe. Bought 2 lbs. of  lamb shoulder had it chopped into stew size but i'd recommend the lamb breast just because of the marbling, the dish taste better with the fatty meat.  As expected it was a great dish. Infact, i think lamb adobo will be a good dish to try for those who are not "into" lamb. Not gamey at all, i think it's because of the vinegar.

So, Kuya...Lamb Adobo is a keeper! The next time i will cook lamb adobo, i'm adding coconut milk, i know it's going to be delish as well. Thanks for the idea!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. lamb (used shoulders)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce for marinade
Pinch of salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns or freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup dried lily blossoms if available..soaked in water (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oil for searing
water if needed (just incase liquid has reduced and meat isn't that tender yet)

Cover and marinate the meat with 1/4 cup soy sauce, pinch of S&P for 1 hr.
On a large pot, sear the meat until brown on all sides, set aside.
Remove excess oil, and combine all ingredients in the pot.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat.
Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened, and meat is tender, about 20 more minutes. Serve with steamed rice.