Our family business is doing good these days, thank God. However, this means standing in the kitchen for long hours preparing customers’ orders. Days like these leave me too worn out to even think of preparing dinner for the family. As much as I want to grab my yarn and hook and crochet all night to relax, I couldn’t afford to see three hungry mouths waiting to be fed haha!
When I don’t have the energy to cook, I default to throwing in chicken pieces, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic in a pot then serve my family Chicken Adobo for dinner. Even if this emergency dish gets devoured in minutes, I gets monotonous, unexciting.
Then, I remembered an Adobo recipe which I learned years ago. I saw, heard or read it somewhere but I couldn’t recall where or whose recipe was it. So, if you are the creative mind who thought of this dish, kudos to you!
The dish is called Beef Adobo! Yes, you heard it right. I got excited when I heard about it so I tried the recipe right away. Beef adobo has become my youngest brother’s favorite food. Now that he lives in the US with our mother, he would tell her to request the recipe from me so that she could cook it there for him.
Aside from my brother, a dear friend and her family became fans too after trying the dish the first time. My friend claims that since that night, it has become a staple food in their household.
I mean, who doesn’t like Adobo? The distinctive smell of Adobo cooking in the kitchen is comforting that it entices anyone who enters the room. This version still gives you that heartwarming aroma but with a twist. The incorporation of the cream in the typical salty-sour adobo sauce adds a different kind of sweetness which is a wonderful surprise.
Unfortunately, my husband and kids didn’t enjoy this as much. My attempt to satisfy their palates failed twice. So I shelved the recipe until recently. I didn’t want to give up that easy on my family. So, I challenged them. I proposed cooking it again and if they still give the dish a thumbs down I will erase the recipe forever! Challenged taken.
Here is the recipe for Beef Adobo with Creamy Sauce
You will need:
1/2 kilo camto, (flank steak) cut into serving pieces
1/2 cup of vinegar
1/4 cup of liquid seasoning
black peppercorns
1 piece bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (11 grams) beef broth cubes
1 cup water
1 250ml all purpose cream
2 pcs siling pansigang (optional)
salt to taste
Procedure:
Briskly boil the beef in vinegar, seasoning, peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic and beef cubes. Cook over low heat for at one and half hours or until beef is tender. Add a little amount of water at a time when the broth dries up.
When beef is fork tender, pour in contents of 250ml tetra pack all purpose cream. If you want a heavier or thicker sauce, you can use the canned Nestle Cream. Stir until cream is well incorporated in the sauce. Check the flavor and add one more beef broth cube if necessary or simply add salt. Simmer until sauce thickens and then add siling pansigang. Serve with steaming hot rice.
Finally, the dish is cooked and everyone was taking spoonfuls of Beef Adobo with rice. My ears were ready for their “I don’t like this, Mama”. Lo and behold, the food critic in our family, Coby blurted out, “This is good, Mama! Did you cook this before?” I gave him a puzzled look as if saying, “Duh?” Then the younger one said, “I like it too!” So far, two out of three. Husband said he enjoyed the dish too but I guess he was just being nice haha! He is not a cream-based food kind of guy.
At least I got the kids’ approval on this Beef Adobo. I’m one happy chef at home. Try it and I hope this dish will be one of your family’s favorites too.
