Connie’s notes
Don’t roll your eyes. Filipino adobo recipes that contain both meat and vegetables isn’t new. The most common is ground pork adobo with sitaw (yard-long beans) and it’s been around since I was a kid. Why not ground pork adobo with some other vegetable like Chinese broccoli? I tried it, I liked it and I’m now sharing the recipe with you.
This dish has two components which need to be cooked separately.
Chinese broccoli is sold with stalks and leaves. The stalks take much longer to cook than the leaves. To avoid overcooking the leaves, cut the Chinese broccoli to separate the leaves from the thick stalks.
Boil the leaves just until tender, scoop out, drain and pile on a plate.
Then, drop the stems and cook until tender.
How long do the leaves and stalks need to cook? That depends on how mature the Chinese broccoli is.
The smart way to cook Chinese broccoli
Chinese broccoli is sold with stalks and leaves. The stalks take much longer to cook than the leaves. To avoid overcooking the leaves, cut the Chinese broccoli to separate the leaves from the thick stalks.
Boil the leaves just until tender, scoop out, drain and pile on a plate.
Then, drop the stems and cook until tender.
How long do the leaves and stalks need to cook? That depends on how mature the Chinese broccoli is.
Adobo with oyster sauce
If you watch Selena + Chef, you might have seen an episode with chef Jordan Andino as guest. Jordan taught Selena how to cook chicken adobo based on how he learned it from his grandmother who adds oyster sauce to the stew. Strange, I thought at first but, considering how I love oyster sauce, worth trying. I did. It’s terrific.Ingredients
Chinese broccoli
- 250 grams Chinese broccoli (about half a pound)
- salt
- sesame seed oil
Ground pork adobo
- 250 grams fatty ground pork (about half a pound)
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic peeled and pounded
- 1 pinch ground oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon potato starch or substitute cornstarch
Instructions
Cook the Chinese broccoli
- Boil four cups of water in a pot with two pinches of salt and a drizzle of sesame seed oil.
- Cut the Chinese broccoli horizontally in half to separate the leaves from the thick stalks.
- Drop the leaves in boiling water and cook for three to four minutes or just wilted. Scoop out, allow excess water to fall off, and divide between two plates or shallow bowls.
- Into the same boiling water, drop in the stalks and cook for six to eight minutes or until the thickest piece can be easily pierced with a fork. Scoop out, allow to drain, then pile on top of the leaves.
Cook the ground pork adobo
- Spread the ground pork in a cold pan then set the heat to high. Add the garlic, bay leabes, oregano and pepper. Cook, tossing and stirring, until the meat is no longer pink and has started to render fat.
- Mix all the ingredients for the adobo sauce except the starch, pour over the ground pork and leave to cook until the mixture is almost dry.
- Stir the starch in two tablespoons of water, pour over the adobo and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened and no longer cloudy in appearance.
Assemble the dish
- Spoon the ground pork adobo over the Chinese broccoli.
- Drizzle the sauce over the meat and serve with rice.
Tilapia fillets and baby portobello in lemon cream sauce
