BABY SQUID ADOBO (Adobong Pusit)

One of my all time favourite seafood dish is Squid Adobo (Adobong Pusit).  I happen to spot some baby squids in Inala and can’t resist on making Squid Adobo.  The baby squids were just a bit bigger than my thumb and it was a killer cleaning them out, removing the mouth and guts, taking out carefully the ink sacs (very important for the broth).  Took me awhile just cleaning a small bowl of baby squids but it reminds me of the small fresh squids that my “Lola C” (grandmother) cooks in Navotas were I spent most of my elementary school vacations.  I remember fondly, seafood vendors that drop by in my Lola C’s Sari-sari Store, offering freshly caught assorted seafood stored in their plastic buckets, sometimes I get lucky and get the chance to observe live fish swimming in a bucket before it becomes our lunch for that day.

This baby squids are easy to cook, very tender and melt in your mouth.  I love to drizzle the ink broth over my steamed rice and pair the meal with a can of Coke.

 

Squid Adobo (Adobong Pusit) 

INGREDIENTS:

½ kg baby squids, cleaned

⅛ cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

4 peppercorns, whole

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 small onion, sliced

1 med tomato, sliced

2 tspn soy sauce

1 tspn sugar

2 tbspn cooking oil

*used U.S Measuring Cups & Spoons

 

COOKING PROCEDURE:

1.  Rinse and clean the squids, be careful not to burst the ink sacks and keep it separate in a small bowl (add a tablespoon of water and extract the ink).  Bring to boil squids in a mixture of water, squid ink, vinegar, peppercorns and ½ garlic and let it simmer for a minute or so.

 

 

 

2.  Drain the squids and set aside the broth. 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Heat oil, sauté ½ garlic, onion and tomato till mushy.

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Add squids and slightly stir it to combine with the mixture. Pour in broth, soy sauce and then add sugar, cook for about 1 1/2 minutes.

 

 

 

5.  If you find it too saucy, drain the squids and put the broth back in the saucepan and let it simmer till it reduces half of its original volume.

 

 

 

 

6.  Add back the drained squid mixture and stir till the broth is well combined with the squid, turn off the stove.

 

 

 

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BEST WITH:  freshly cooked steamed rice.

NOTES:

• The reason why I take the squids off the sauce during the broth reduction is to avoid overcooking the squids.

• If you are interested in other Adobo dishes, I have previously posted Snake Beans Adobo (Adobong Sitaw) and also Chicken Adobo (Adobong Manok).