Pork Adobo sa Gata

Pork Adobo sa Gata or sometimes shortened to “Adobong Gata” is a deliciously creamy twist to the traditional and ever popular adobo. Similar to the usual adobo made of pork belly, garlic, onions, peppercorn, bay leaves, black pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, and water simmered into a savory, tangy, and slightly salty dish. Adding coconut milk, sugar, and red chillies gives it new life by adding nuttiness, creaminess, some sweetness and spice. Top it over with some chopped up spring onions and this makes for an amazing flavorful dish that’s sure to delight anyone.

Pork Adobo sa Gata Recipe :

Ingredients :

• 1 kilo pork belly ( sliced into chunks )
• 6 cloves garlic ( minced )
• 1 medium onion ( chopped )
• ½ tablespoon whole peppercorn
• 2 to 3 dried bay leaves
• Black pepper to taste
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water ( adjust as needed )
• ⅓ cup vinegar
• 1 ⅓ cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Red chillies ( whole and chopped )
• Spring onion (optional)

Steps :

1. In a pan, saute the pork belly until it turns lighter brown in color and the oil starts to render. Place in the garlic and cook until aromatic. The saute in the onion.

2. Mix in the peppercorns, dry bay leaves, black pepper, and soy sauce. Pour in water, cover and let this simmer for 30 – 40 minutes or until the pork is tender.

3. Pierce the pork with a fork to check if it’s tender. Pour in vinegar, do not stir and just let it simmer for 2 minutes. Then pour in the coconut milk, and mix in the sugar.

4. Cover and cook until the sauce thickens. Then top with red chillies and spring onions.

Why is Adobo so popular ?

Adobo is not only the national dish of the Philippines. It’s just an iconic dish whose flavors represent the flavor profile of many Filipino dishes. It was founded during the Spanish colonial period. The name “Adobo” once called “Adobar” means “to marinate”. It has a long history of being part of every FIlipino family’s meals and is still being made by many, albeit depending on the household you might find some twists and modern takes on the recipe.

A dish well known inside and outside of the country by its unique blend of flavors, especially the combination of aromatics like garlic, onion, dark soy sauce, spices of peppercorn and bay leaves, with the addition of why the dish has a tangy slightly acidic flavor, ‘ vinegar’, simmered without being mixed in. This is because you want the vinegar to fully evaporate to keep it from being too overpoweringly tangy. Once the meat or vegetable based dish is simmered with this soy based sauce it comes out tangy, very umami, and savory. In the end some even add an addition of chillies for some spice or fried garlic for an extra crunch.

How to make this Adobo Gata dish ?

This Pork adobo with coconut milk recipe mixes both the savory goodness of the strongly umami adobo and the creaminess and spiciness of coconut based dishes. This mix of both recipes elevates and makes the pork taste richer and delicious. All you need to do is saute your sliced pork belly in a pan at medium heat, cooking until it changes in color-turning into a lighter brown color, with the fats melting into oils that’ll be used to saute the aromatics. Cook the garlic until aromatic before adding in the onions. Once the onions have softened, add in whole peppercorns, dry bay leaves, a sprinkle of black pepper, and dark soy sauce. AFter you give this a good mix, pour in enough water to simmer the pork to help cook these until tender without burning the bottom of the pan. Depending on how big the pork slices are, the simmering time can range from 20 minutes to an hour.

To check if the pork is tender enough. Pierce the thickest chunk or slice you see with a fork. If it goes in easily then it’s ready. Por in vinegar and let this simmer for a few minutes until it evaporates. Do not stir during this time. Pour in the coconut milk and sugar. Mix well and let this cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens. Then top it off with spring onions for some color with red chillies for a hit of spice. This dish will make your taste buds explode with creamy, garlicky, and umami goodness that’ll be perfect with a side of freshly cooked white rice.

Questions

• Additional Adobo sa Gata ingredients
  • You can add more filler like carrots, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes or other spuds to absorb most of the sauce to make “Pork Adobo sa Gata with Potato”.
  • For those who like these a bit more tart and sour, you can add pineapple chunks when simmering the pork to also help tenderize it faster.
  • You can also add other leafy vegetables like cabbages, eggplant, spinach, pechay, bok choy, string beans or more.
  • Or a mix of even more spicy ingredients like red sili, gochujang, sriracha, paprika, or pepper flakes.

• Other meats to use
  • Aside from the pork belly, you can also use ground pork to cook it faster. Depending on the size you might need a longer or shorter simmering time.
  • Use whole chicken cut to parts or specific parts of the chicken to make “Chicken Pork Adobo sa Gata recipe”.
  • If you want to use seafood instead try using shrimp, squid, fillet fish, or you can also use canned tuna, making sure it’s drained to make the affordable but still delicious  “Tuna Adobo sa Gata recipe“.

Try our other Yummy Pork Recipes :

• Homemade Spam
• Secret Pork Menudo Recipe ( Pork shoulder stewed in a savory tomato sauce )
• Stir-fry Green Beans with Pork Belly
• Homemade Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Pork Tinola ( an aromatic and hearty Filipino pork stew )

Pork Adobo sa Gata Resipi ( Tagalog ) :

Mga Sangkap :

• 1 kilo pork belly ( hiniwa ng pa-chunks )
• 6 butil ng bawang ( tinadtad )
• 1 sibuyas ( hiniwa )
• ½ kutsarang buong paminta
• 2 o 3 dahon ng laurel
• Paminta panlasa
• ⅓ tasa ng soy sauce
• 1 tasa ng tubig ( dagdagan o bawasan kung kinakailangan )
• ⅓ tasa suka
• 1 ⅓ tasa gata
• 1 kutsarang asukal
• Pulang sili ( buo at hiniwa )
• Dahon ng sibuyas ( opsyonal )

Paano Lutuin :

1. Sa kawali, lutuin ang pork belly hanggang mag iba ng kulay at nagsisimula na mag-render ang taba nito. Iluto ang bawang hanggang bumango. Pagkatapos, lutuin ang mga sibuyas.
2. Haluan ng buong paminta, dahon ng laurel, paminta, at soy sauce. Ibuhos ang tubig, takpan at pakuluan ng 30 – 40 minuto o hanggang lumambot ang baboy.
3. Tusukin ang baboy gamit ang tinidor para malaman kung malambot na ito. Buhusan ng suka, wag galawin, pakuluan ng 2 minuto. Buhusan ng gata at haluan ng asukal.
4. Takpan at pakuluin hanggang kumapal ang sarsa. Dekorasyonan ng mga pulang sili at dahon ng sibuyas.