[Recipe] Adobong dilaw na may gata (adobo with turmeric and coconut milk)

Adobong dilaw na may gata

They say that there are as many adobo recipes in the Philippines as there are Filipino households. That might not be an exaggeration. Aside from the subtle changes in the recipe, there are also different distinct types of adobo in each region of the Philippines. This particular recipe is a hybrid of 2 of those adobo varieties. The adobo sa gata and the adobo na dilaw. The former uses coconut milk to make the adobo more creamy and the latter uses turmeric to have that distinct flavor and yellowish color. I have used a whole spring chicken for this recipe (I just asked the butcher to cut it up into smaller pieces) but you can also use pork. It turned out quite tasty in my opinion so I hope you too will enjoy this recipe. Note that this recipe does not use any soy sauce which is normally used in traditional plain adobo since it will make the final dish too dark (the primary ingredient for seasoning is fish sauce with the option to add in more salt).

Ingredients:
800 grams chicken, cut up into small pieces
150 grams luyang dilaw (fresh turmeric), sliced thinly
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
180 ml coconut milk
150 ml vinegar
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
2 bay leaves
2 pcs chicken broth cubes
salt to taste


Directions:
Sauté onions and garlic in vegetable oil until caramelized. Mix in the sliced turmeric, Spanish paprika, bay leaves, and ground peppercorns. Add the chicken pieces and let the meat brown, mixing occasionally. The chicken will also take in an orange-yellow hue due to the paprika and turmeric.

Add the vinegar, fish sauce, chicken broth cubes, and enough water to just barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil then lower the temperature and let it simmer until almost all the water-based liquid has evaporated (the meat will start to sizzle again from the oil from earlier including the fat rendered out from the chicken skin). 

Pour in the coconut milk and mix thoroughly. Let it simmer for a few minutes, tasting the sauce and adding salt to your preference.

Serve with freshly cooked rice. Enjoy!

Nutritional information (per serving): based on 4 servings per recipe
(approximated based on the ingredients used at the time I made this and may vary depending on the actual ingredients you use if you make your own version of this dish)
Calories = 414
Fat = 18 grams
Cholesterol = 114.6 mg
Sodium = 2,205.1 mg
Potassium = 346.1 mg
Carbohydrates = 18.6 grams
Protein = 39.3 grams