I’m always thrilled when another Filipino cookbook is
published. When it comes to the world
stage, our cuisine has always mysteriously darted to and fro between the light and
shadows. Now you see it, now you
don’t. Now it is a no man’s land of
fear-factor-esque bites, now it is a treasure trove of secret recipe passed
down from generation to generation. Now
reviled, now exalted. But always never
quite getting a steady grip on a solid place in the firmament of Asian
cuisines. Yet.
published. When it comes to the world
stage, our cuisine has always mysteriously darted to and fro between the light and
shadows. Now you see it, now you
don’t. Now it is a no man’s land of
fear-factor-esque bites, now it is a treasure trove of secret recipe passed
down from generation to generation. Now
reviled, now exalted. But always never
quite getting a steady grip on a solid place in the firmament of Asian
cuisines. Yet.
Today though, our delicious food (because yes, I am Filipino and yes, I
do think our food is wonderful) is slowly gaining popularity and renown. Little and not so little restaurants are
making their own successful splashes abroad (each to which I give a little
standing ovation over here). Foodies in
the know have started to whisper about Filipino food being the “next big
thing”…a whisper that has been gaining strength thanks to the magic of the
internet.
do think our food is wonderful) is slowly gaining popularity and renown. Little and not so little restaurants are
making their own successful splashes abroad (each to which I give a little
standing ovation over here). Foodies in
the know have started to whisper about Filipino food being the “next big
thing”…a whisper that has been gaining strength thanks to the magic of the
internet.
Me, I’m just happy when our food gets a little more
limelight. We Filipinos love to eat. Our forefathers loved to eat. We pass recipes down like precious family
heirlooms (which they are). I think
that all this love and deliciousness is meant to be shared with the world! And I am thankful and proud for every person
who tries to do this.
limelight. We Filipinos love to eat. Our forefathers loved to eat. We pass recipes down like precious family
heirlooms (which they are). I think
that all this love and deliciousness is meant to be shared with the world! And I am thankful and proud for every person
who tries to do this.
I discovered Marvin’s blog years ago. I love coming across Filipino food
blogs. When they are based out of the
country, by an earnest Pinoy trying to learn more about his national cuisine,
it endears itself even more. That’s
exactly why I kept returning to Burnt Lumpia, being on my own Filipino food
journey myself – not one of someone far away from her home country, but of a
girl who was learning to cook Filipino food on her own for the first time (after have
spent most of her life eating Filipino food cooked by someone else). The blog struck a chord…not to mention Marvin
is hilarious and reading his posts were entertainment in and of itself.
blogs. When they are based out of the
country, by an earnest Pinoy trying to learn more about his national cuisine,
it endears itself even more. That’s
exactly why I kept returning to Burnt Lumpia, being on my own Filipino food
journey myself – not one of someone far away from her home country, but of a
girl who was learning to cook Filipino food on her own for the first time (after have
spent most of her life eating Filipino food cooked by someone else). The blog struck a chord…not to mention Marvin
is hilarious and reading his posts were entertainment in and of itself.
When he visited the Philippines some years back a group
of food bloggers arranged a dinner and we had the pleasure of meeting him and
his lovely wife. After some time, we
heard that he put up a food truck, The Manila Machine, and we cheered him on,
excited that he was pushing the story of our food to even more people. And when he shared that he was writing a
cookbook, I was so excited I signed up to test recipes!
of food bloggers arranged a dinner and we had the pleasure of meeting him and
his lovely wife. After some time, we
heard that he put up a food truck, The Manila Machine, and we cheered him on,
excited that he was pushing the story of our food to even more people. And when he shared that he was writing a
cookbook, I was so excited I signed up to test recipes!
This wasn’t one of the recipes I tested, but when I
finally had Marvin’s book in my hands it was one of the dishes I wanted to
try immediately. Adobo, red wine, and
beef shorts…such promise in that combination!
finally had Marvin’s book in my hands it was one of the dishes I wanted to
try immediately. Adobo, red wine, and
beef shorts…such promise in that combination!
Red Wine and Short Ribs Adobo
(From The Adobo Road Cookbook by Marvin Gapultos of Burnt Lumpia…with my notes)
- 1 tablespoon oil (I used canola oil)
- 1.5 kilos bone-in beef short ribs
- Coarse salt
- 1 large onion, diced
- 8-10 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and
peeled - 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2-cup soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- Water, to cover
– Heat the oil in a deep, non-reactive pot over medium
high heat. Season the short ribs on all
sides with salt, and then add the short ribs to the pot in one layer, taking
care not to over-crown the pot. Do this
in batches. Sear the short ribs on all
sides, about 3-5 minutes per side, until all sides are brown and crusty. Transfer the browned short ribs to a platter
and set aside.
high heat. Season the short ribs on all
sides with salt, and then add the short ribs to the pot in one layer, taking
care not to over-crown the pot. Do this
in batches. Sear the short ribs on all
sides, about 3-5 minutes per side, until all sides are brown and crusty. Transfer the browned short ribs to a platter
and set aside.
– Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot,
and then return the pot to medium heat.
Add the onion and the garlic and sauté until the onion just begins to
soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat
to low and pour in the red wine, stirring to scrape up any brown bits from the
bottom of the pot. Simmer the red wine
for 2-3 minutes.
and then return the pot to medium heat.
Add the onion and the garlic and sauté until the onion just begins to
soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat
to low and pour in the red wine, stirring to scrape up any brown bits from the
bottom of the pot. Simmer the red wine
for 2-3 minutes.
– Add the red wine vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, and
the coarsely ground black pepper to your pot.
Return the shorts ribs, along with any juices that have accumulated on
its platter, back into the pot as well. Add just
enough water to barely cover the short ribs, then bring to a boil
over high heat. Decrease the heat to
low, cover, and then simmer for at least 2 hours, or until the meat is fork
tender and falling off the bone (mine took longer…just be patient!). Make
sure to turn the ribs occasionally to ensure even cooking.
the coarsely ground black pepper to your pot.
Return the shorts ribs, along with any juices that have accumulated on
its platter, back into the pot as well. Add just
enough water to barely cover the short ribs, then bring to a boil
over high heat. Decrease the heat to
low, cover, and then simmer for at least 2 hours, or until the meat is fork
tender and falling off the bone (mine took longer…just be patient!). Make
sure to turn the ribs occasionally to ensure even cooking.
– While the ribs are simmering make sure to skim off and
discard and fat that rises to the surface (I’ll admit that I was a naughty,
naughty girl and skipped this step – I like a bit of fat in my adobo).
discard and fat that rises to the surface (I’ll admit that I was a naughty,
naughty girl and skipped this step – I like a bit of fat in my adobo).
– When the ribs are falling-off-the-bone tender, remove
from the pot and set aside. Increase the
heat to high and bring the liquid in the pot to a boil. Continue boiling until the sauce is reduced
to about 2 cups. This can take anywhere
from 10 – 30 minutes depending on how much water you added previously. Discard the bay leaves and taste the sauce,
adjusting the seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed (I didn’t have to
added any further seasoning at all, although next time I may add just a teensy
bit of sugar just to balance the flavors out.
Although some frown on this, Marvin himself admits that all three of his
grandmothers use sugar to balance out flavors – and I do too! I also didn’t bother fishing out the bay
leaf…because I’m a horribly lazy person).
from the pot and set aside. Increase the
heat to high and bring the liquid in the pot to a boil. Continue boiling until the sauce is reduced
to about 2 cups. This can take anywhere
from 10 – 30 minutes depending on how much water you added previously. Discard the bay leaves and taste the sauce,
adjusting the seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed (I didn’t have to
added any further seasoning at all, although next time I may add just a teensy
bit of sugar just to balance the flavors out.
Although some frown on this, Marvin himself admits that all three of his
grandmothers use sugar to balance out flavors – and I do too! I also didn’t bother fishing out the bay
leaf…because I’m a horribly lazy person).
– Serve the short ribs with steamed white rice and
drizzle some of the sauce over the ribs and rice (Instead of drizzling the
sauce over the ribs, once the sauce was reduced I added the ribs back to the
pot to get coated in the sauce and warmed through. Admittedly not as elegant a presentation but
delicious nonetheless!)
drizzle some of the sauce over the ribs and rice (Instead of drizzling the
sauce over the ribs, once the sauce was reduced I added the ribs back to the
pot to get coated in the sauce and warmed through. Admittedly not as elegant a presentation but
delicious nonetheless!)
I am happy to report that this recipe definitely
delivered on its promise. Tender,
yielding beef and a deep, dark sauce with a lot of body and flavor. C, little C, and myself enjoyed it
immensely. Leftovers were prized as
this, like most adobos, are even better the next day. A word of warning though…this dish is a rice
magnet! I won’t even mention here how
much rice I piled on my plate, smothering it liberally in the aromatic and hearty sauce.
delivered on its promise. Tender,
yielding beef and a deep, dark sauce with a lot of body and flavor. C, little C, and myself enjoyed it
immensely. Leftovers were prized as
this, like most adobos, are even better the next day. A word of warning though…this dish is a rice
magnet! I won’t even mention here how
much rice I piled on my plate, smothering it liberally in the aromatic and hearty sauce.
The other recipes in The Adobo Road Cookbook look just as
promising. I have already bookmarked
several (Carabao Wings, Humba, and Slow-Braised Pork Belly and Pineapple Adobo –
which is one of the recipes I tested and am so looking forward to trying again). But it is really the whole look and feel of
the cookbook, along with Marvin’s unique voice (at once friendly, funny,
knowledgeable, and obviously passionate about our cuisine) that I like most
about it. It is casual and relatable in
a way that I feel will speak to Filipinos who are just venturing into the
kitchen, as well as non-Filipinos who are interested in learning more about
Filipino food. It has a sense of humor
that endears the reader and makes our oft-misunderstood cuisine more
approachable. But, despite this, he
still manages to also underline how familial our food is, steeped in history
and entrenched in family.
promising. I have already bookmarked
several (Carabao Wings, Humba, and Slow-Braised Pork Belly and Pineapple Adobo –
which is one of the recipes I tested and am so looking forward to trying again). But it is really the whole look and feel of
the cookbook, along with Marvin’s unique voice (at once friendly, funny,
knowledgeable, and obviously passionate about our cuisine) that I like most
about it. It is casual and relatable in
a way that I feel will speak to Filipinos who are just venturing into the
kitchen, as well as non-Filipinos who are interested in learning more about
Filipino food. It has a sense of humor
that endears the reader and makes our oft-misunderstood cuisine more
approachable. But, despite this, he
still manages to also underline how familial our food is, steeped in history
and entrenched in family.
Thank you and bravo Marvin!
**If you are in Manila you can find The Adobo Road Cookbook
at National Bookstore branches. If you are elsewhere you can order it here.
at National Bookstore branches. If you are elsewhere you can order it here.
I want this book!!
That looks mighty tasty! A wonderful book, I'm sure.
Cheers,
Rosa
Yum yum! I love your food pictures! Do you shoot them yourself?
Hi Joey, I'm so glad that you and your family enjoyed this recipe. Hopefully you'll enjoy more from the book!
Hi Ling! I am really enjoying it! He even has cocktails 🙂 🙂
Hi Rosa! It was very tasty 🙂
Hi Kathleen! Thank you!! Yes I do shoot them myself 🙂
Hi Marvin! I've already bookmarked other dishes 🙂 Great job on the cookbook!! Love that it is out in the world, hopefully getting more Filipino dishes cooked in kitchens all over! 🙂
I love beef short ribs and this recipe is a winner! Agree with you Marvin's recipes are fantastic and easy plus it's always great to support a fellow Filipino, especially someone as down to earth and humble as he is. Here's to Pinoy cuisine on the global table! Thanks for sharing this, Joey!
I confess that I've never tried beef adobo as my family tends to be rather purist as far as adobo is concerned. But this looks so tempting!
I want this cookbook! I have too many at the moment…but will put on my to buy list 🙂 Hopefully soon!
that is fancy adobo!
Hi Betty Ann! Here here! These beef short ribs adobo is a fantastic dish…we loved it! Love beef short ribs too so was immediately drawn to this. Bravo to Marvin!
Hi Midge! I love making all sorts of adobo…even lamb! Anything meat that is good for braising lends itself exceptionally well to adobo 🙂
Hi Didi! I think it's a great cookbook to have…there is more I want to try! I know what you mean about being over quota on the cookbooks though…heehee 😉
Hi Shnappy! Not as fancy as it sounds 🙂 It's easy!
I'm excited to get my hand on this book… I hope it's soon 🙂
bookmarking this! hopefully this is 'adobo' my husband is looking for 🙂
Love this dish!! Will make it. You hve a wonderful blog!!