Lumpia Shack Adobo

Friday Fast Food – Adobong Pusit

The Philippines’ national dish adobo makes for the perfect street food. Try it at NYC’s Lumpia Shack or make your own.

Adobong Pusit
Lumpia Shack Brooklyn, NY
Chef Neil Syham

Serves 3 or 4

Born in the Philippines, dynamic duo Neil Syham and Angie Roca grew up on the sweet, salty, tart and spicy flavors of Filipino cuisine. So it stands to reason that adobo, the national dish of the Philippines, would be a frequent star of their Lumpia Shack menu.

“Adobo is based off soy, vinegar, bay leaf and black peppercorns,” explains Neil. “You can ‘adobo’ anything.” While it’s usually chicken or pork that’s being ‘adoboed,’ Neil chooses to use squid – another common Filipino ingredient – to take the recipe up a notch.

Lumpia Shack Food Cart Team, Neil Syham and Angie Roca

 

Ingredients

 

2 lb (907g) squid
3 tbsp (45ml) oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 bay leaves
½ tsp salt, or to taste
½ tsp pepper, or to taste
1 tbsp (12g) sugar
¾ cup (177ml) white or coconut vinegar
¾ cup (177ml) fish or chicken stock
1 tsp black peppercorns
¼ cup (59ml) soy sauce
1 tsp minced red chiles
1 tsp minced parsley

Detach the head of the squid from the body. Remove the beak and ink sacks and clean the squid under running water. Yes, it may seem gross, but would Julia Child or Anthony Bourdain hesitate? Didn’t think so. (But if you aren’t into being Anthony Bourdain, ask your local fishmonger to do this for you).

In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil and sauté the garlic until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the squid, bay leaves, salt, pepper and peppercorns and sauté for 2 minutes.

Pour in the vinegar, stock, sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the squid is fork-tender.

Just before serving, add the minced red chiles and parsley. Serve over garlic rice with a fried egg.

'Behind the Food Carts’ is a blog started by Kim Pham and Phil Shen in Portland, Oregon. Now based in the
 San Francisco Bay Area, Kim and Phil are professional photographers and videographers under their studio name, KIM+PHIL Photography with writer Terri Philips. This recipe appears in their book, ‘Food Truck Road Trip: A Cookbook’ by Kim Pham, Philip Shen, Terri Phillips (pictured here). Printed with permission of Page St. Publishing.