Bring both the distinct and unique flavor of the squid, and the familiar delicious taste of the adobo together at home. This recipe is called the Adobong Pusit (Squid Adobo), and is a quick and easy dish that you can whip up for dinner together with your family.
Learn how to make this intriguing dish by reading the recipe article below.
What is Adobong Pusit?
Adobong pusit is a squid dish that uses the popular method of cooking the famous pork adobo here in the Philippines. Instead of using pork meat or chicken meat, the main ingredient here is the squid. Like the more popular version, this dish uses soy sauce, vinegar and the squid is brought to a boil, along with garlic, onions, and tomatoes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Squid (Pusit)
When picking a squid for this dish, I suggest that you go for the small to medium-sized ones. These have soft and tender meat, plus you will be able to cook them easier.
Aside from this, you will also use common adobo ingredients like soy sauce, vinegar, onion, garlic, tomato, salt, black pepper, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Kawali (Cooking Pan)– To make this dish, you will need 2 traditional Filipino kawali with a deep bottom. One will be cooking the squid and one will saute the aromatics. You can also use any skillet or frying pan as an alternative for this.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
Cleaning The Squid
This dish calls for a cleaned squid and you should learn how to prepare that beforehand. Here are some steps to follow when cleaning squid:
- Begin by separating the head with the innards from the body.
- Gently take out the ink sacs and place them in a small bowl. Be sure to handle them with care and avoid pressing or squeezing them to prevent bursting.
- Remove the beak and cartilage from the base of the tentacles before discarding them. The cartilage is the soft, plastic-like bone in the squid’s body.
- Cut the larger squid bodies into 1-inch thick slices horizontally.
How to Cook Adobong Pusit
Once you have all of your ingredients prepared at the kitchen, the adobong pusit is a quick and easy type of dish to cook at home. To start, you only have two main steps when making it.
First one is to prepare the ingredients by chopping and slicing away. Once that is done, the next step will be to cook the ingredients, which is a matter of putting the ingredients into the pot one by one. It’s as easy as that!
Choosing the right size of squid doesn’t really matter when it comes to making the adobong pusit, but most people find that the smaller sized squids are more tasty, and are easier to handle both when cooking and when eating it than the larger sized ones, so go for it whenever you can.
Cooking Tips
- The key to making a successful squid dish is to make sure that the squid stays tender throughout the cooking. So make sure that cooking the squid is just a short amount of time. If in case you find that the texture of the squid becomes too rubbery and hard to bite, another option you can do is to cook it longer, until it becomes tender again.
- When preparing the ingredients for the adobong pusit, it is always a good idea to make sure that the cuts of the ingredients are equal in size. This will make sure that you have an easier cooking experience since you’re sure that all of them will be cooked evenly.
- You can add in oyster sauce, as well as bay leaves in the mix of ingredients–these ingredients adds an extra and subtle kick to the adobo. But if you don’t have this available with you, it is safe to remove it from the recipe and you will still have a tasty adobo.
- You can reheat the adobo using a pan or microwave. When using a pan, set it on low heat and then cook just enough until the insides are hot enough. For the microwave, repeatedly heat it for 1 minute and 30 seconds and until you achieve the desired temperature.
How to Serve Adobong Pusit
Squid adobo is best served warm with freshly cooked white rice. But it works well with garlic fried rice also. You can also serve this alongside popular Filipino side dishes like achara, tomato-salted egg ensalada, or buttered vegetables.
How to Store and Reheat Adobong Pusit
Unlike regular adobo, this dish contains tomatoes and to ensure that your recipe stays fresh, it’s essential to refrigerate it right away. If stored in a clean container with lid, it can last between 5 and 7 days and can be reheated with ease.
Reheating adobo in the microwave or on the stovetop with minimal heat are both good methods.
Other Types of Adobo
Since adobo is so popular all over the country, there’s no doubt that there would be different kinds of adobo you can test out. Here are examples of some of them.
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Adobong Pusit (Squid Adobo) Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) squid, cleaned
- 1 pc onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pcs tomato, cut into cubes
- ½ cup vinegar
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp cooking oil, for frying
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a cooking pan, pour in the water, vinegar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
- Add in the squid. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.
- In a separate cooking pan, pour and heat the cooking oil over low to medium heat.
- Add in the garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Saute until cooked through and aromatic.
- Add the squid into the cooking pan. Then pour in the liquid mixture used to cook the squid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well mixed.
- Transfer to a serving tray or serving bowl. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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