The speaker, Kenji, is cooking Filipino adobo chicken, a simple dish made with chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper. He explains that he's using a lidded wok to braise the chicken, but a Dutch oven or cast-iron pot would also work. Kenji mentions that the dish is traditionally Filipino, but the name "adobo" comes from Spanish colonial times. He explains the importance of the ratio of sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in the braising liquid. After cooking the chicken for about an hour, the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze. Kenji serves the chicken with white rice, garlic, and bay leaves. He notes that the dish gets better with time and reheats well, making it a great option for meal prep.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The dish being cooked is Filipino Adobo Chicken.
2. The recipe is a simplified version of a traditional Filipino recipe.
3. The ingredients used include chicken legs, soy sauce, cane vinegar, palm sugar, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, and salt.
4. The recipe is cooked in a wok with a lid, but can also be cooked in a Dutch oven or cast iron pot.
5. The chicken can be marinated in a brine before cooking, but this step is optional.
6. The recipe uses a combination of ground black pepper and whole black peppercorns.
7. The ratio of sugar to vinegar to soy sauce is approximately 1:2:2 by weight.
8. The dish is cooked for about 1 hour, with the sauce reducing down to a thick glaze.
9. The recipe can be made with pork instead of chicken.
10. The dish is best served with white rice.
11. The flavors of the dish improve as it sits, and it reheats well.
12. The recipe is from a cookbook called "Amboy" by Alvin Cailan.
13. The author of the recipe has a cookbook coming out in March 2022.