The first time I had chicken adobo, the crown jewel of Philippine home-style cooking, was at Elvie's Turo-Turo on First Avenue. Turo-turo means “point-point”, and it refers to the restaurant's buffet-style setup—you just point at items in the steam tables and a friendly fellow plates them up for you. We had some good stuff, but the garlicky chicken adobo transcended its unassuming nature with an assertive piquancy.

Adobo recipes vary widely, but the one constant was what I discovered to be the holy trinity of chicken adobo: garlic, vinegar and soy sauce. Elvie’s chicken adobo carried a hint of anise, which I replicated at home with the quite uncouth addition of absinthe. Star anise pods do the trick as well, though I recall finding soggy sprigs of a mysterious herb in my adobo at Elvie’s. Anyway, you can tell if you’ve made the adobo properly, because your burps will taste like garlic.

Recipe

1 whole 3- to 4-pound chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 head garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 two-inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, sliced into coins
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons absinthe or 2 whole pods star anise
1 bay leaf
1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, optional

Directions

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and lightly brown the chicken pieces. (Ideally, this step should be done in two batches, but crowding the skillet won't kill anyone, either.)

2. Dump the garlic, onion, and ginger into the pan, and shuffle everything around. Add the vinegar, soy sauce and absinthe or star anise pods. Add enough water so that the chicken is immersed a little less than halfway in liquid. Add the bay leaf.

3. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the sauce is reduced by at least one-third and the chicken is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Add the sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings (you may need to add more soy sauce or vinegar—the flavor should be bright, but the tartness should not be harsh or overpowering). Remove the ginger and star anise pods. Serve with white rice and cold bottles of San Miguel beer.

Makes about 4 to 5 servings.