Pork and mushrooms adobo
Mention Filipino cooking and adobo comes to mind. For some reason, the dish itself is an unequivocal declaration of being Pinoy. I like the way The Wily Filipino puts it: “It’s an unambiguous declaration of ethnic presence, an olfactory attack on the mainstream: We’re here and you can smell it… adobo is uncomplicated, a symbol that at once signifies everything (identity, colonialism, ethnic pride) and nothing, or rather, nothing but itself.”
It isn’t the national food — lechon is. But while lechon conjures images of fiestas and large gatherings, adobo evokes feelings of casual meals with the family peppered with laughter and joyful conversations.
Adobo evokes memories of one’s mother lovingly preparing a meal in the warm kitchen. It evokes feelings of comfort and family. My mother cannot cook if her life depended on it but I associate adobo with happy family memories just the same — my kids’ and husband’s gusto and contented faces whenever we sit down to an adobo meal. That’s why I think I can cook adobo in a hundred different ways and not tire of experimenting.
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25 Responses to “Pork and mushrooms adobo”
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My mother can’t cook either! Actually I’ve noticed that in my family and all my Filipino friends’ families it’s the dads that cook. I love adobo and as my dad says “Adobo just gets better day after day; all the meats start soaking up the sauce and it gets tastier and tastier”.
sarap naman nyan connie!!!
kaya lang we dont have pork here in Riyadh… lalo ko tuloy gusto umuwi agad!… can i substitute chicken breast sa pork connie? sana oo para naman kahit papano i can cook this for my hubby…
please connie share some moe chicken or beef recipe for us who cannot even smell pork. hehehe!
thanks for this new way of cooking adobo. my family also loves adobo. where can i buy fresh button mushrooms? God bless and more power to your food blog.
Joy, that’s true, adobo is much better after reheating. Problem is… we rarely have anything to reheat when we’re having adobo.
ann, chicken thighs, skin on, are better. Adobo doesn’t taste the same if fatless meat is used. Don’t worry, there’s just meat in the freezer right now. hehehe
Betchay, most supermarkets sell fresh mushrooms although seasonal. In wet market, you will find them in vegetable stalls.
This looks interesting. And the picture looks so yummy. I love pork adobo and I also love mushrooms. Can’t wait to try this. However, I rarely buy fresh button mushrooms coz, per my experience, they don’t keep long in the ref. Would it make much difference if I use the canned ones?
Try ko nga. I have mushrooms that’s been in the fridge for a week now (sana its still good). Just have to buy the meat. Kasi I dont usually buy pork with fat.
Looks delish.
Anna, I really don’t know. The nice thing about fresh mushrooms is that as they expel water, the flavor goes into the sauce. I don’t think canned mushrooms can do that.
Leah, if you want to use fatless pork, you can just add heart-friendly oil so that the adobo isn’t so dry. Virgin coconut oil does wonders with adobo. Ah… but that’s a future entry. LOL
i’ve been cooking adobo with mushrooms since i learned how to cook adobo, although i haven’t tried the buttom mushrooms with it..i normally use shiitake mushrooms (dried or fresh) and wood ear mushrooms…then i add a little wine vinegar in addition to the usual ingredients…it’s my family’s fave dish now =)
OMGosh. I can never get tired of adobo. It’s just soooo good.
connie, i noticed that you boil the meat first in vinegar and spices without stirring. is that better than boiling everything together until the meat is tender? i mentioned your technique to my aunt whom i admire as a cook and said she would rather boil them all together. what’s up with the no stirring part? a friend mentioned that stirring will make the meat very sour.
for fatless pork, just add a bit of olive oil para di tuyo. it adds extra flavor as well.
re button mushrooms, it can still work for canned ones but of course, its always better if we use fresh mushrooms.
mahilig ako sa adobo, i always have mushroom included. pero its a combination of pork and chicken most of the time.
madalas may spicy bagoong na pangsawsaw.
ay ginugutom ako tuloy.
cameron, the practical result of the no-stirring part is that as soon as the vinegar has been absorbed, the sides of the pork that touches the cooking pan starts to brown at one. For some reason, constant stirring at this stage of cooking results in a longer time before the mixture dries up.
and it is for the same reason that I don’t boil them all together. To acquire a good texture, the frying in it’s own fat part if indispensable. Otherwise, adobo just becomes something like boiled flavored meat. it may be tender but without that chewy texture.
Tita Con, your pork & mushroom adobo looks great! Adobo has got to be the ultimate in all childhood comfort food memories. I usually use chicken thighs when I make adobo here @ home. It also happens to be one my hubs Top 5 favorite meals to have! lol My cousin taught me another very tasty version to make adobo. His magic ingredient being ginger! I tell you, @ first I was rather hesitant in adding ginger, but finally decided to give it a try. It was so good and my family and friends who came over raved about it.
Aloha, the ginger sounds great. Actually, I have tweaked adobo a few times by adding salabat powder. Ang sarap! So, I’m thinking… ginger slices + a teaspoonful of honey…??
hi con,
i love to experiment in the kitchen.btw,im a filipina newly married to an american. do you have a book or a compilation of your recipes that i can buy online or at any bookstore? this is a must have for me,and i love to try this recipes seems they look simple to me and all the ingredients i can buy from costco except yong taba ng pork? wala yata. im waiting for ur response. thanks much.
I just would like to thank you for this wonderful recipe. As I said before, I couldn’t wait to try this. So I did, even with no fresh mushrooms available in my fridge. I went ahead and used a can of button mushrooms using the broth in place of the water in the recipe. It turned out really well. And, most importantly, my daughters, who didn’t care much for pork adobo (they prefer chicken), loved it and and even requested that I cook this again for their baon. Thanks again.
riza, i have the draft of the book but i’m still looking for a good publishing deal.
Anna, don’t you just feel great when your kids really appreciate something you cooked? I love it when my kids say, “Don’t disturb me; I’m eating.”
Adobo is a favorite of my too. I’m the cook at home and my mom rarely cooks. But on my 4th year high school, each Saturday I have to wake up really early for CAT classes. I always wake to the smell of adobo simmering cooked by my mom. Then she mixes some pork slices to the garlic sinangag! That’s my favorite adobo memory.
[...] Pinoy Cook:  Pork & Mushroom Adobo recipe [...]
Hello Connie!
We always add mushroom (canned or fresh) in our adobo after trying it out in one restaurant here in San Diego. Its pretty good and my son loves it! I dont have to force him to eat mushroom now!
Hi Janet. Mushrooms do give adobo a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?
mmmmm…. yummy!
Button mushrooms in my adobo next time, plus honey and salabat powder or a few slices of ginger. These added ingredients will surely give the adobo a new twist. Thanks, Connie. Thanks, Aloha.
Hi Connie! This adobo is super yummy…I cooked this na siguro 5 times na…Ako ang may gusto talga but of couse my family loved it too…..
Hi Ms. Connie!
I just finished cooking this recipe and I will be serving it later at dinner. Im sure there will be no leftovers!
Luckily I was able to find fresh button mushrooms at Farmer’s Market. It looked very much different from the canned ones, it was white, as opposed to the golden color of canned mushrooms, and the texture was also different. And it did expel a lot of water, I guess I overcooked it a little but it is really good, much more flavorful than the regular adobo.
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!