MANILA, Philippines — When one talks about well-known and highly respected chefs who hail from Pampanga, one of the first names that comes to mind is Chef Gene Gonzalez.
The founder of the now iconic Café Ysabel and the Center for Asian Culinary Studies (CACS), Chef Gene is a natural teacher who loves to share his knowledge with young, promising culinary minds.
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When he recently served as guest chef for The Maya Kitchen’s Culinary Elite Series, he put together heirloom recipes of Pampanga in a class he called Culinary Gems from Old Pampanga.
One of them is Adobo del Diablo, which is how they call Kapampangan adobo. The chicken is a deep bronze produced by constant simmering and deglazing of the pan with stock when a crust is formed. It originates from Chef Gene’s hometown in Pampanga, Sulipan, where fish sauce is used instead of soy sauce. It is called Adobo del Diablo not only because it uses a lot of innards but also because the dish “is so good it must have come from the devil.”
Of course, that is only a “saying,” because, in truth, everything that is good comes from the Lord.
Adobo del Diablo
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups chicken, cut into 3-inch pieces
1/2 cup chicken heart
1/2 cup beef liver, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup pork kidney, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup chicken giblets, cleaned
1/4 cup chicken blood, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tbsps. corn oil
2 tbsps. garlic
3/4 tbsp. salt
6 tbsps. fish sauce
3 tbsps. pork lard
2 cups chicken stock
PROCEDURE:
1. Sauté the garlic in corn oil until slightly brown. Add pork, chicken, chicken heart, beef liver, pork kidney, chicken giblets and chicken blood.
2. Add vinegar, pepper and then fish sauce.
3. Remove the chicken giblets, heart, beef liver and chicken blood. Set aside.
4. Continue braising. When a brown crust forms and meat turns brown, douse with a little stock and deglaze. Return the brown liquid to the meat and continue braising until a brown crust forms again. Repeat deglazing with the stock about three more times.
5. When chicken and pork are tender and sauce turns to brown, add all the meat/innards. Pour in the stock. Simmer for 15 minutes or until mixture dries. Separate the meats.
6. Deglaze the pan with the stock. Serve the meats separately and sauce on the side.
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