Adobong Puti

Adobong Puti: White Adobo with Pork, Vinegar and Garlic

Adobong puti is white adobo: pork belly simmered in cane vinegar, a whole lot of garlic, black peppercorns and bay leaves, seasoned with plain salt and no soy sauce at all. The sauce comes out pale, sharp and savory, and the pork turns soft enough to cut with a spoon.

About Adobong Puti

Puti means white, and the name tells you what is missing: the soy sauce that makes most adobo dark. Adobo as a cooking method, meat kept in vinegar, salt and spices, is older than the soy sauce version most people know, and adobong puti is often described as the older style. Vinegar was the preservative and the salt was the seasoning, so a pot of meat could sit on the shelf for a day or two without a refrigerator.

The flavor is different from the brown kind. Without soy sauce there is no sweetness from the beans and no dark color, so what you taste is the vinegar, the garlic and the pork fat, and the pepper at the end. Some cooks season with patis (fish sauce) instead of salt, which gives a deeper, saltier note. Many families keep both versions: the brown one for the lunch box, the white one when guests are coming and the pot should look clean on the table.

If you already cook Pork Adobo, you only need to take the soy sauce out. The method is the same, but the margin for error is smaller, because the vinegar and the salt carry the whole dish.

Ingredient notes

• Pork belly: the fat renders into the sauce and keeps the meat moist through a long simmer. Pork shoulder works if you want it leaner.
• Cane vinegar: mild and slightly sweet. Coconut vinegar is a good alternative. Avoid harsh white distilled vinegar, which makes the sauce sharp and thin.
• Garlic: ten cloves sounds like a lot, but it softens in the pot and turns sweet. Crush the cloves, do not mince them, so they do not burn or dissolve.
• Black peppercorns: keep them whole. They flavor the sauce slowly and you can chew one for a hit of heat.
• Salt or fish sauce: the only seasoning. Add salt in the beginning and taste again at the end.

Tips for the best Adobong Puti

1. Do not stir the vinegar. Pour it in, bring it to a boil and let it bubble for a few minutes without stirring. This cooks off the raw edge of the vinegar and keeps the sauce clean tasting.
2. Use a heavy pot with a lid. The meat should barely stay under the liquid. A wide, thin pot evaporates the sauce before the pork is tender.
3. Simmer, do not boil hard. A gentle simmer keeps the pork soft. Hard boiling makes it stringy and cloudy.
4. Season in two stages. A little salt at the start flavors the meat, and a final taste at the end tells you how much the sauce has reduced.
5. Brown the pork at the end if you like. Frying the cooked cubes in their own fat gives crisp edges and a deeper flavor, and it is the best part of the dish for many people.

What to serve with Adobong Puti

Steamed white rice is the only thing you need. A plate of sliced tomatoes with salt, or Ensaladang Talong, cuts through the richness. Leftover sauce is good over fried rice the next morning.

Variations and substitutions

• Chicken: use bone-in thighs and shorten the simmer to 30 minutes. See Chicken Adobo for the brown version.
• With fish sauce: replace the salt with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce for a deeper savory flavor.
• A little sweet: add 1 teaspoon of sugar if your vinegar is very sharp.
• Drier: reduce the sauce further and fry the pork until the cubes are crisp, close to a Bagnet-style bite.

Storing and reheating

Adobong puti keeps well. Refrigerate it in its sauce for up to 4 days. The flavor improves on the second day, and the white fat on top lifts off easily if you want to skim it. Reheat gently in a pot over low heat.