Cooking lessons from a connoisseur and a vegetarian adobo recipe

CEBU, Philippines - While there are dishes that require the strict compliance of procedure, Plantation Bay's Manny Gonzalez pointed out that there are also dishes that would only require a complete set of ingredients, and I would add, common sense.

The latter I have to add, because some might think that it's alright to, let's say, put in the vegetables first before the oil when sautéing. Although, come to think of it, broiling does sometimes add flavor to the dish, but common sense would be needed for one to decide on what is best for the dish that he's making.

Kare-kare, of which, Plantation Bay's creation is well praised, must be executed in a specific manner in order to achieve perfection, this according to Mr. Gonzalez. He said that the reason why Plantation Bay's kare-kare is a best seller is because they make sure that procedure is followed to the letter.

Mr. Gonzalez said that Plantation Bay's kare-kare, as with most of the dishes served in the property's four restaurants - Palermo, Kilimanjaro Kafé, Fiji Restaurant, and Savannah Grill - were made according to procedure developed for years by its chef's and kitchen staff, and I reckon by Mr. Gonzalez himself, a perfectionist when it comes to food and taste.

Now, as for dishes that don't require strict observance of procedure – as long as all the essential ingredients are there – one of the most famous Filipino creations would be the adobo, although there are also techniques that many traditions use to further enhance the taste of the dish.

There is the white adobo of Pampanga, which is more on the sour side with more vinegar and without the soy sauce. And then some traditions would allow their adobo to age, buried under the ground for months, while the Cebuano version would require the use of pork knuckles with its collagen all melted and sticky and then cooked until the sauce is reduced to a sticky and thick consistency.

The versatility of the dish has allowed for the cooking up of as many versions as there are many possible ingredients that can be added into the base ingredients. In fact, this dish is one of the favorites of Filipino vegetarians because it's easy to come up with a meat-less version, and the taste is just so, well, let's admit it, adobo is a comfort food for many of us.

In 2008, our friend from Brahma Kumaris Cebu, BK Jamuna, shared with us her Vegetarian Adobo recipe (http://ow.ly/dQF4p) using Cebu's very own Meat Magic. Personally, I stopped using Meat Magic because of the after taste and the smell that seems to stick even when it's cooked. Others use tofu, but the taste and the texture is just not the same.

Here is another vegetarian adobo recipe that I'd like to share with you. This time, it uses seitan or gluten which here in Cebu can be bought either at the canteen of H.W. Miller Memorial Sanitarium and Hospital (No. 400 Tres de Abril St., Cebu City, Tel: 032-261-1111) or at the Sian Tian Temple (Archbishop Reyes Ave., Banilad, Cebu City, Tel: 032-233-4887).  (FREEMAN)

INGREDIENTS:

¼ kilo seitan, cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces

1 small stick of butter

1 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp brown sugar

5 pcs Peppercorns

3 pcs laurel leaves

3 pcs star anise

5 pcs azucena

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

A dash of hing or asafoetida

A dash of ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Make marinade from soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, hing, ground black pepper, and peppercorns.

2. Marinate seitan for an hour.

3. Fry seitan in butter until lightly brown.

4. Pour in the marinade. Add more soy sauce and vinegar to taste.

5. Add the azucena, laurel leaves, and star anise.

6. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes.

7. Remove from the fire, garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and serve over a cup of steaming hot rice.