6 Lessons I have Learned From Cooking Adobo Chicken

Chicken is a common ingredient in almost every cuisine from all over the world, and recently I learned how to make Adobo chicken. Adobo chicken is a Filipino recipe that I fell in love with the first time I tasted it.

The delicious and creamy sauce pooled around the tender and juicy glazed chicken, and the excellent aroma of peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves in the air, makes this recipe an experience.

While I was learning this authentic and top-rated Filipino recipe, I had the privilege to learn many new skills and lessons, some of which have had a very significant impact on my life. Therefore, today I want to share my experience with this recipe, and how it has taught me some precious lessons and contributed to some unforgettable memories.

The Value Of Solidarity In Diversity:

Though Adobo Chicken is a recipe that is widely recognized as a staple of Filipino cuisine, it has some diverse roots. For instance, consider the name of the recipe, the term Adobo comes from the Spanish word “Adobar,” which means Marinade.

Moreover, one of the primary ingredients of this recipe, which is soy sauce, was introduced in Chinese cuisine. Therefore, this recipe is a perfect example of how different and diverse concepts and ingredients can work in solidarity to create a beautiful and delicious outcome.

I believe that we can learn a lot as a human race from this fantastic amalgamation of cultures in Adobo chicken. It shows us that if people from all walks of life come together in solidarity, without any discrimination based on culture, nationality, gender, or race, we can create a beautiful world and have a lasting positive impact on it.

You Can See A Reflection Of The Culture A Recipe Belongs To, In Its Preparation:

When you learn about adobo chicken in detail, you can also see the importance of culture. In the Philippines, many people say the cooking adobo is a very personal experience for them, and they are right. When you move through different parts of the Philippines, you will get to taste many different kinds of Adobo.

In some provinces, people also use ingredients like brown sugar, bell peppers, jalapenos, potatoes, and even pineapple. People also use different seasonings. However, the great thing is that all of these variations of the recipe are considered authentic; everybody embraces the intricacies of their culture and respects the choices of others as well. Here is an adobo seasoning recipe if you want to try it out.

On the contrary, we live in a culture where everyone who is a fan of New-York style pizza has to hate people who like Chicago style pizza, and maybe the only thing that unites these people is their mutual hatred for Hawaiian pizza. I believe we can learn something from the Filipino people and where we should embrace our culture and be proud of it, we should respect others’ as well.

Cooking Can Teach You A Lot About Selflessness:

Adobo chicken is a very versatile recipe, where the proportions of many ingredients don’t need to be exact. While preparing adobo chicken, you have the freedom to add as much salt and pepper as you like; similarly, you could put in an entire cup of vinegar or soy sauce if you want; however, you also want to be considerate of the other people who are going to try your recipe.

This idea had a considerable impact on me. We always have the freedom to perform the actions that are best suited for us, even if they are bad for others; however, we turn our selfish instincts down and be considerate of the people we love, and I think that there is something undeniably beautiful about that.

You Should Value Substance Over Appearance:

When it comes to appearance, Adobo might not be that familiar to the people you are serving it to. Moreover, since there are so many variations of this recipe, it can come in various styles.

For instance, in Muslim regions of the Philippines, Adobo is prepared with coconut milk, which gives the sauce a lighter color, whereas, in areas like Laguna, people also add turmeric to Adobo, which creates a yellowish color. Yet, you can’t say that either recipe is more authentic than the other,

This might seem a bit unusual, but I believe that we can apply the same philosophy on how we see people. People from around the world speak different languages, have different skin colors and traditions; however, as we don’t judge food based on its appearance and taste it first, we would also make an effort to understand people before we make any judgments.

Simple And Small Acts Can Have Enormous Impacts

Adobo or any other food always tastes better when you have someone to share it with. A simple act like making Adobo for your family can make them feel happy and loved. Similarly, small acts of kindness, like smiling at someone, can make their day.

Even a small act of kindness can have massive ripple effects of positivity; therefore, preparing this recipe for my friends has taught me how significant the impact of seemingly simple actions can be.

Different Flavor Profiles Can Work Great Together:

One of the unique features of Adobo chicken is that it incorporates a wide variety of flavor profiles, and they work perfectly with each other. The recipe is Sour, Sweet, Spicy, and Savory at the same time.

Similarly, people of different personalities and natures can live in harmony and have positive experiences.

The fantastic combination of seemingly unrelated flavors in this recipe has reminded me that we shouldn’t let differences in opinions or habits guide our feelings when it comes to other people. Let us respect the views of others, and if we can’t agree with them, we shouldn’t disregard them either.

In conclusion, the main idea of this post isn’t specific to Adobo, but in general, it is more about how we can learn from cooking and apply some of the ideologies to our social life.

I know that it might seem silly to some people that a recipe can have such an impact on a person’s mind, but believe me, the experience of learning this recipe in the Philippines has been life-changing, and I feel like others can benefit from my experiences as well. Therefore, I hope you had an entertaining and informative read.