Adobong Sitaw
Long beans braised adobo-style: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay and pepper. The beans tenderise in the liquid; everything reduces to a glossy, sharp, savoury glaze. Filipino vegetable cooking at its most direct.
Overview
Garlic browns in oil; long beans toss in to colour briefly. Soy and vinegar pour in with bay and peppercorns; the beans braise covered until tender. Lid off; the liquid reduces to a glaze. Salt at the end, not the start, since soy is salty enough.
Ingredients
- 500 g long beans (or green beans; cut into 8 cm lengths)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 onion (small, sliced)
- 60 ml light soy sauce
- 60 ml white cane vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (lightly cracked)
- 200 ml water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Cooked rice (to serve)
Method
Stage 1 - Aromatics
- Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic; cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant and just starting to colour.
- Add the onion; cook 2 minutes.
Stage 2 - Beans
- Pile in the long beans; toss to coat in the oil; cook 2-3 minutes until they go bright green and start to blister.
Stage 3 - Braise
- Pour in the soy, vinegar, water; add the bay and peppercorns.
- Bring to a boil; do not stir for 1 minute (lets the vinegar's harshness cook off).
- Reduce the heat; cover and simmer 8 minutes until the beans are tender but still have a faint snap.
Stage 4 - Reduce
- Uncover; raise the heat to medium-high.
- Cook 4-5 minutes more until the liquid reduces to a glossy sauce that just coats the beans.
- Stir in the sugar to round out the vinegar.
- Taste; adjust soy if it needs salt.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Discard the bay; serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
- Don't stir the vinegar in: Filipino tradition holds that stirring the vinegar before it boils makes the dish taste raw and sharp. Let it bubble for a minute first.
- Long beans (sitaw) vs green beans: Long beans hold up best; green beans work fine but cook faster - check at 6 minutes.
- Sugar at the end: Balances the vinegar without adding sweetness up front.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated; flavour deepens overnight.
- Doesn't freeze well; the beans go limp.
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