Spinach and Broccoli Adobo

a vegan dish

It's a modified version of something I've cooked hundreds of times before but never cared to post a recipe of.  It's just such a no-brainer that any run-of-the-mill Filipino could whip up a wok full without having to scream every three minutes asking their mums for help.  There's basically no chance this recipe could go wrong when it's cooked in a Filipino home.

If you're a Pinoy vegetarian living in the Philippines, I'm quite sure you've tried Adobong Kangkong.  What I'm about to teach you how to cook is simply a westernised version of it where I've replaced kangkong with real spinach and brought broccoli into the picture.

If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll come up with a bowl good for:

- 1 vegetarian, or
- 14 meat eating nut jobs who think it's good enough that they swallow half a teaspoon of vegetables once a week after gorging on fancily prepared dead animals for the rest of it


You will need:

- 1 cup of broccoli flower 

- ½ cup of broccoli stalk (without the woody/stringy outer coating) 

- 1 fistful of spinach leaves 

- 2 cloves of crushed garlic 

- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion 

- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 

- 1 teaspoon of vinegar 

- ½ teaspoon of molasses (1 teaspoon of brown sugar will do, too) 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- salt for seasoning 

- black pepper for seasoning

NOTE:  If you don't like broccoli stalk, you may do away with it and replace it with one more cup of broccoli flower.


To cook it:

1. Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, molasses and garlic in a bowl, and then marinate the leaves in it.  Don't leave it to soak right away, though.  Get your hands dirty by squeezing the spinach like a sponge.  Let it absorb the marinade. 

2. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit in a warm place for 15 minutes while you take a shower or watch a shady short flick. ;) 

3. After you've showered or watched your 15-minute flick, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and drop in your onions and broccoli stalk to cook for about a minute. 

4. Remove the spinach leaves and garlic cloves from the marinade and drop them into your pan.  Don't you ever dare squeeze the marinade off it!  The idea is for some of the liquid to go with it when you drop it in.  Cook for about a minute with continuous stirring using a spoon to keep the ingredients from sticking to the pan and burning. 

5. Take a tablespoon of your marinade and it add to the pan.  You may throw the rest away. 

6. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the pan and allow it to simmer covered over low heat for 5 minutes. 

7. After five minutes, drop in your broccoli flower.  Stir to coat it with the sauce. 

8. Add two more tablespoons of water and simmer covered for another 5 to 7 minutes.  Note that the broccoli flower will cook a bit slower here than most other recipes because it's not completely covered with liquid.  It's more like it's being steamed than simmered.  With the tiny amount of sauce in this dish, it usually just sits on top of the spinach. 

9. Remove the cover and season with salt and pepper to your taste buds' delight.  You may add a teaspoon of vegan stir-fry sauce if you like. 

10. Serve with a side of chilled black grapes and a glass of cold apple juice.

Veggie Adobo, Black Grapes and Apple Juice