Adobong Pusit — Refined or Rustic???

IMG_8496
IMG_8501

Here is the first in a series of “which one?” posts I will probably write in the months ahead, as I try to narrow down my list of recipes for that mythical Marketman cookbook… Both recipes yield delicious dishes but they taste so different from each other. So I am curious which recipe regular readers would rather have in a cookbook of Marketman’s favorite Filipino dishes (I already have my opinion, but want to hear yours)… On the one hand is the Adobong pusit without squid ink in the top photo that is a also cooked in vinegar, but finished with a tomato and onion sofrito of sorts. It is a bit more complicated to make, but yields a tender squid stew with a hearty sauce with a lot of tomatoes and onions. On the other hand is the more rustic squid cooked in its own ink. Simple, quick, hearty and an absolute hit for many. It packs walloping flavor and pairs beautifully with rice. Stained teeth are just part of the territory.

IMG_8489

The “inkless” adobo entails parboiling the tiny squid in vinegar, soy, aromatics, etc. until tender. Then draining the squid and retaining the liquid. A saute of tomatoes and onions in olive oil, the squid added back in and the liquid added to the desired level of soupiness and simmered until the flavors meld well. I added siling labuyo or bird’s eye chilies for some spiciness. It was excellent. Struck me as being closer to a spanish dish of sorts, but squid cooked in its own ink is pretty Iberian as well. For those of you who are curious, a version of this dish was published in Enriqueta David-Perez’s cookbook first published some 50 years ago and so there is a generation of folks who made adobong pusit in a similar manner. I also note that the recent publication, Kulinarya, also opted to feature this version rather than the version with ink. This is certainly the more “refined” version of the dish, but it has its fans.

IMG_8499

The black adobong pusit is a one pot wonder. Don’t bother to peel the skin of the squid, no need to carefully remove ink sacks. Saute onions, tomatoes and ginger in vegetable oil and add the squid. Add some vinegar and some soy to taste and let it simmer until done. Add a couple of siling labuyo if you want it spicy. Only add a little water if it appears too dry. Minimal prep time, quick cooking. Beautifully complex and tasty dish. It has an astonishing depth of flavor for something that takes less than 15 minutes to make. It might be more “common” but it is delicious. I suspect this would win hands down in a democratic vote, but that is my guess. Which one would YOU rather have in a recipe book? The first, because the second is so simple? Or the second, because perfectly simple isn’t so easy? :)

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

170 Responses

  1. Hi marketman! I’m a big fan and can’t wait for your cookbook! :D the second one with the squid Ink has my vote! Yum yum! :D i’ve never tried it with ginger yet, just garlic and tomatoes, and when done, sprinkle with chopped fresh scallions, so i’m very excited to try your version soon! :D

  2. Black teeth gets my vote! Love the squid ink version with hot, steamed rice. Pamatay ng kanin.

  3. Important question–is your cookbook being sold mostly in the Philippines or abroad?

    I would choose the latter recipe because it’s more unusual to find in a cookbook, but if you’re planning to do a lot of sales abroad, it might be more difficult to source the squid ink. So in that case, I’d put the former recipe in.

    But in a perfect world, I’d have both. :-)

  4. The ink-less adobo gets my vote! Raised in an Ilonggo household, one of the first dishes I learned to appreciate and prepare is adobong pusit. It would be a breath of fresh air to find a Filipino cookbook that will list an alternative to the original recipe/preparation. This entry takes me back to your Blonde vs Brunette (chicken) Adobo post. Because of the variation, I was intrigued to try both versions and the dishes turned out brilliantly! Btw, I purchased Amy Dorotan’s cookbook when it first became available via Amazon. I hope your cookbook will be easily accessible to us fans who are currently based outside of Manila. If you are taking pre-orders, Mr. MM, please put me in for five!

  5. At times like these I really realize how uniquely Filipino really I am. How am I a product of a long history of intermingling cultures; of East and West. The European, “Old World”, in me favors the the very “tapas” like quality of the first dish. While the Asian rice-monster islander half of me screams for the “black-blood”!!, hehe.

    In the end the islander wins for I could easily live without any wine for a month but I could never get past a single week without eating any rice.

    So Rustic for me. :)

  6. Hi MM! I am voting for the black adobong pusit. It is simple and traditional yet requires a bit of daring (particularly for those who haven’t tried the dish) to go beyond the appearance as well as the threat of a black-lined teeth after eating =) Why choose one though? How about a side-by-side variation cookbook?

  7. I’ve never had the top one so I can’t say but love the black one..Why not put both recipes in your cookbook even if it’s just imaginary for now? LOL! I’m a sucker for cookbooks so I’m sure I’ll buy if you publish. That would be awesome but make sure you put a puto recipe in it….I wish someone could unearth the secret of making puto the old fashion way..with tuba..sigh….

  8. The 2nd picture made my salivary glands go into overdrive so it wins, hands down ;-)
    Count me in for the pre-orders, if there is such a thing.

  9. We both cook the two versions in our home but I think the rustic one has a bit of edge over the ink-less one. Why not have both recipes in? ;)

  10. Hi MM – as earlier suggested, it would make your cookbook more interesting if you feature both versions. In that way, readers also learn a bit of the history of the evolution of the said Filipino dish. I have tasted both versions in the past and both taste great and represent what is Filipino, depending perhaps on the time or place where we had such a dish. So, I go for both, with some text on the background of the versions of the dish. Also, I am sure a lot of those who will look up a squid recipe would look for a tip on how to ensure that the squid would be cooked perfectly tender. I must confess I have never cooked this dish because I am so afraid it will come out tough. So, for these squid recipes, pls include some text on how to ensure it is cooked perfectly tender to the bite! :) :). All the best to your experiments for the cookbook! :)

  11. The rustic one, of course, but including the refined one is a great idea, also. Yes, for MM’s cookbook! MM can start a preorder list now, if he wants to.

  12. Can’t put it both, the book would end up too thick! Imagine, two versions of adobo, 15 versions of sinigang, twelve versions of rice, etc. Gotta edit, edit, edit… :)

  13. i’d like to vote for the one with ink, it being the most familiar…but i’d like to see the recipe for the inkless one published…

  14. my vote goes to the refined adobo pusit recipe. because i already know how to cook the rustic version :))

  15. hi mm! can’t wait for the cookbook. if the volume of recipes is a problem, might you consider a serialized one, x number of recipes for y type of main ingredient, separate from the comprehensive book you want to write? just thinking out loud.

  16. Black adobong pusit, and thats our dinner last nigth-baby pusit. Kahit puro ulo n natira nadatnan namin kasi naglakad kami pauwi sa camp. Sabaw masarap sa kanin…

  17. I would love both,MM!
    Also squid/octopus dishes like steamed, grilled or even boiled are all delicious!

  18. Also marketman with regards to your book maybe u can add a salad green which is in the form of kilawin. Due to our food are always meat and our cook cannot provide us our daily intake of vegetable. This is what i do, a salad green ala kilawin and try to mix what is available. But the ff are the major ingredients of a kilawin…

    1. Kamatis ( sometimes i add Apple and pineapple)
    2. Arugula fresh ( or cooked spinach )
    3. Sili
    4. Sibuyas (white or red)
    5. Ginger ( pino)
    6. Black pepper
    7. Salt ( or Corned beef, white cheese , dilis, alamang ) what ever available at the pantry.
    8. Lemon or vinegar..

    This may look very easy to prepare but if ur not trained to make a kilawin u will not arrive to the rigth taste… Your tagalog friend will not appreciate it…But my salad..they like it…hehhehe

  19. Black – but your comment on “…Can’t put it both, the book would end up too thick! Imagine, two versions of adobo, 15 versions of sinigang, twelve versions of rice, etc. Gotta edit, edit, edit… ” comes across as sanitized rather than something more freeflowing and heartfelt – what I want to see in the book is you, the recipes are really generic ( i use the term in humility and utmost respect ). Maybe a part two…?

  20. Gotta be black! Can you imagine going to Venice and having the risotto or spaghetti not be black? Anything that stains not only your teeth but the sides of your mouth as well as your lips had got to be good. I know in San Francisco where I am originally from it is really easy to find squid ink so even readers abroad would not having a problem making it.

  21. i would like to eat the rustic one but both can definitely be put in a cookbook as that would add varity to the dish.

  22. black please. i just made the mistake of buying a pusit variant that’s practically devoid of ink. i don’t know what it was but the size of each each squid is about 4-5inches long. i wanted adobong pusit and got an anemic version which made me extremely unhappy. the following day, my friend went to the Malay market and got the squid we’re more “familiar” with. she cooked it adobo style and we got the usual black version, much to my delight.

  23. My mother does her adobong pusit differently. She sautes garlic, onion, tomato, then kinchay. Then she puts in the squid pre-boiled in its ink and vinegar. Finally, she adds a bit of butter. :)

    As for your two recipes, I think the black adobo tastes better but doesn’t look as nice and colorful than the inkless adobo. I say include both in your book.

  24. present tense, I am thinking the first book HAS to be Marketman’s take on Pinoy favorites. A sort of Top 150-200 maybe. Assuming (which is a big assumption) that makes it to print, and pays for itself, other topics can be covered in subsequent books maybe… :)

  25. The black ink recipe. I think it is more filipino than the other one : ) and I don’t mean that in a bad way.

  26. In truth, adobong pusit is not one of my favorite dishes…but my hubby LOVES it (the black way) so I vote for the black one! He will be thrilled if I make this for him :) I can save it for when I need something, heeheehee ;)

  27. our family’s version of adobong pusit combines both methods. the squid–ink sac and skin included — is first cooked adobo style. then, it is sauteed, sofrito style. really good — try it.

    cookbooks are the best selling books in the philippines ( and i think elsewhere too). you will definitely not lose money if and when you finally get it published, you may even make money from its sales for your feeding program!

  28. the black rustic adobong pusit is the favorite of lots of your readers but i prefer
    the pusit with sofrito…..any seafood goes very well with tomatoes. it is hearty and comforting to eat and the sofrito gives more depth of flavor to the squid.

  29. The black one gets my vote, but I wanna try and cook the “refined” one as it looks yummy as well. BTW, please reserve 5 copies of your cook book for me. I hope you’ll really decide to give it a ‘go’ and have it published soonest.

  30. the original filipino way, the one with the black ink. filipino food is always better the way it’s supposed to be cooked.

  31. MM, I love cooking. And, I love food. As such, I have tons of cookbooks.

    The cookbooks I truly treasure are the ones that go off the beaten path. If the black adobong pusit is in every pinoy’s heart, it’s in every pinoy cookbook. Dare to be different!

    From my reading of your blog for at least the past two years, you are almost always upscale and interesting. A one-pot dish is neither.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love a good stew, a good soup, and many great one-pot meals. But, the dish that screams to me “MM!” is the red version.

  32. Adobong pusit reminds me of home. My Nanay would cook it so delicious that i always eat more than the usual. It has become my comfort food. Something to look forward to every time i would go home to the province to visit Nanay.

    I think it’s very Pinoy and it’s about time for Pinoy cuisine to shine.

    So Black Adobong Pusit for the win!

  33. I miss this dish specially the inked version, its almost impossible to do it here in NZ as the squid that are sold here are the big ones and always clean, if we do find the small ones its clean as well, i hope they sell squid ink in cans :)

    Raymund
    https://angsarap.wordpress.com

  34. Hi MM, since adobong pusit is quite popular here in our country, please do include the two versions. Both are quite good and it would make an interesting “centerfold” in youir book! =) having the other page the refined Castillan version and our own very rustic version!

  35. i’m a huge fan of squid…love both but my vote goes for the inkless one… my mom usually cook this version :)

  36. Hi MM, if the title of the book is “MM’s take on Pinoy favorites” … my vote is on the refined version. Surely there are alot of black adobong pusit recipe but what makes it special is your creative version. Placing my order for the must have cookbook! :-)

  37. Rustic!!!
    It’s simple but it’s also tricky…like not letting the seasoning over power the natural squid ink flavor. We also add gata/coconut milk sometimes, for a richer flavor :)

  38. Hi, MM! Who says you’re going to publish just one cookbook? I go for the black adobong pusit… for Volume 1… the meztisong adobong pusit can go to Volume 2…. good luck with the cookbooks…. :)

  39. Marketman, I’m so, so glad you’re back to posting. Allow me to react to your earlier comment on the book being too thick if you had different versions of the same dish- I for one would really enjoy seeing 15 sinigang recipes, two (or more) adobong pusit recipes, five adobo recipes… provided, of course, they were all good. I suspect if they’re good enough for you to be willing to put down on paper, they will be all good.

    So maybe two cookbooks? I’d certainly buy both and give them away.

    Back to the question at hand- if I could only have one recipe, I’d go for the first. I love black adobong pusit, but I’ve never had the first one you show, and it looks good!

    I’ve had Spanish squid in ink where the souring agent was white wine. It was yummy, and tasted very similar to ours. Do you think there’s a link there?

  40. Would it sound totally gross to say I love the black ink version, but only after it’s been recooked the next day? I find the flavors are much stronger and intense, plus I do love the ink stained tongue.

    My only gripe with any adobong pusit is when they don’t clean it out right and you’ve got the plasticky spine bit still stuck inside.

  41. Black adobong pusit MM. Beauty in simplicity… but comment on the complexities in doing this “simple” dish.

  42. I feast with my eyes first and the inkless one looks more appetizing to me. It has the look of complexity whereas the black one looks well… just squid swimming in ink.

  43. Adobong pusit in ink would be my choice to eat, but I say give us both, the 15 sinigang recipes, the 12 versions of rice, etc. Yes to the thick book, Marketman!

  44. The black version is delicious especially if you add gata, so i vote for this one. Mr.MM, how long do you keep the squid boiling? Can the shrinking of the squid be prevented? Thanks.

  45. What is it that they say…..once you go black, you never go back????? If I were to be executed, adobong pusit (extra ink, please) would be on my last meal menu.

  46. hi marketman, squid with ink for me…
    i just saw from the hawker stall here in sg they are serving a similar squid in ink dish, they added turmeric and a bit of curry spice. the flavors
    a bit “strong” on the palate, but overall, its nice. the black color justifies the dish as very ASiAn i guess…

  47. Although i do the challenge of an elaborate dish, as the saying goes, nothing beats the original! rustic it is for me! :)

  48. i’m allergic to squid that’s why i dont cook it. my husband has been bugging me to cook adobong pusit with ink, so mm, the “inky” dish gets my vote. :)

  49. Regardless of rustic or noveau, would the type of vinegar make a difference in the outcome of the dish? With so many types, it makes me wonder. Rustic sure has their fans, but the big debate with young Fil-Ams is how Filipino food/cuisine can be taken to the next level. If I was hosting a cocktail party, surely adobdong pusit would be one of the tapas (not pulutan) that would be featured. All the best with the cookbook. I look forward to the page turner.

    Btw…if you go on a big international book signing, please make a stop at Kepler’s books in Palo Alto.

  50. my daughter loves pusit. I would go for the rustic for the cookbook and the black ink version on the website or vice versa. Put me in, too for pre-order of your awaited cookbook.

  51. At first, I’m thinking of voting for the inkless pusit just for the reason that I haven’t tried to cook that one but then I still haven’t tried your version of this recipe too so i’d go for the black adobong pusit :)

  52. what a coincidence , just had squid for dinner, with pasta nga lang….i was missing the pasta negra of cibo, my version was a hit with my husband and son, pero favour MM, if you know the recipe of the cibo one or you have your own take on it, could you please post it?……thanks a lot!…..my vote goes to the rustic one :)

  53. …pusit negro for me…I learned from my Ate to put a touch of oyster sauce at the very end…

    MM..since it is a take on MM’s Pinoy Classics or Favorites…maybe a SHORT NOTE on variations at the end of the recipe?…will take only a few added lines….like say for instance Sans Rival…variations such as Cashew Langka, etc. added at the end of the recipe.

  54. Hi! I have been following your blog ever since and this is the first time that I had the courage to post a comment. I am a big fun, reading your blog is already a part of my everyday routine and it brings me closer to home. Many thanks and all the best! By the way, both versions of adobong pusit looks delicious, but I go for the traditional one, adobong pusit in black ink is one of my favourite dishes. Best wishes for your cookbook, I am sure it will be a best seller!

  55. MM, wouldn’t it be nice if you could put out a blog where instead of comments from us readers, we can post our orders for the recipe book Volume I? Volume II perhaps? Just thinking out loud and no offense intended.

  56. It’s the traditional black pusit for me but I will try your inkless pusit too as it also looks delicious. From my mom, I learned to add a tbsp of oil as it nears cooking and letting the soup simmer ” hanggang magmantika”. From my MIL, same technique but she adds a dash of worcestershire sauce in the end.

  57. The first one gets my vote, the tomato-onion sofrito-ish. Only because I’m from bacolod and grew up with really good adobong pusit, using baby squid, not the bigger varieties. Haven’t tasted anything close to how they made it back home. So having a different take on adobong pusit would be nice. :-)

    By the way MM, you should try mixing your black ink adobo pusit with sotanghon. Add lots of leeks. My mom in law did this and it’s OMG yummy. Don’t know if she did anything to sotanghon but really it’s worth trying.

  58. Black adobo please. The experience is never quite the same without receiving a smile with stained teeth to boot! :D

  59. Black Adobong Pusit for me!!! reminds me of childhood lunches in my lolo and lola’s house whenever we go there for a visit. yum yum yum!!!

  60. Black one please. not adobong pusit without the ink….at least, for me.
    hope you sell your book on amazon.
    give us heads up when it becomes available.
    thanks!!!

  61. I grew up eating adobong pusit with the black ink… of course that would sound like my vote to be. But because buying squid here in the US rarely has ink unless you have a good seafood monger, I would opt for the tomato sauce version for an easier and unique version of adobong pusit. I am intrigued by it, so I guess that’s the reason why I am leaning towards it rather than the ink version.
    Will be waiting for that day when we find out that you will be publishing a cookbook. Good Luck and more power to you…

  62. Would you include both in your book? Or maybe have a section listing variations to the basic/rustic recipe that are possible? I figure if it’s difficult to source some ingredients, we could experiment but with some guidance from your book still?

  63. The black adobong pusit is definitely a favorite! But then again, most people are already familiar with that. Maybe you should opt for the inkless version in the cookbook and post the all-time-black-favorite here instead? :-D

  64. i love the rustic black adobong pusit to death, but being such a quote, unquote, curious gourmand that i am, i’d say give the refined version my vote.. peace and mabuhay.

  65. I am all in with the inked adobong pusit….there is something about drizzled sauce over white steam rice that I find comforting, one of my paboritong ulam with a few drops of patis=)

  66. I like the black one but I cant seem to cook it properly. But now that is mom is here for vacation maybe I can ask her to cook it for me ;-p

  67. @Betty q…yes variations of recipe is a very good idea. Feature one main recipe followed by several “take on”, this is similar to one of Nigel Slater’s cookbook.

  68. definitely black
    i miss my mom’s double cooked adobong pusit
    cook adobo style… then lightly fry the squid… then simmer the squid back to the pot…
    it gives a richer taste to the squid

  69. the black teeth .. err….. black pusit for me please!!!! just like my lola used to cook it .. and then while eating .. we kids would smile showiing off our blackened teeth! :D

  70. the black teeth .. err….. black pusit for me please!!!! just like my lola used to cook it .. and then while eating .. we kids would smile showing off our blackened teeth! :D

  71. Wow, 138 comments on adobong pusit. I have never used tomatoes and onions when cooking pusit with ink. Just a lot of ginger and garlic, good vinegar, cracked pepper and a little salt. You either cook it fast (about 15 min) or slow (40 min) and you end up with tender pieces. But the slow cooked pusit tastes better, at least to me, with a thicker richer sauce.

  72. Rustic black adobong pusit! Sometimes…the simplest recipes are the hardest to master :) I would buy a cookbook just to master that dish.

  73. i’m for the first recipe because its a nice twist from the usual black ink recipe. this could be a case of preference since i like cookbooks that show me new ways of tweaking old standby ingredients

  74. rustic black adobong pusit! :D our family recipe calls for to clean the very fresh pusit (still pulsing with life) and to carefully take out the ink sac to mix into the cut up pusit once it has simmered a bit in vinegar and salt…the result is thick as night and dark as midnight stew, that will not just stain teeth but the whole mouth and my grandma’s good linens :D

  75. I prefer the inked pusit. Haven’t eaten one for so long. My sis brought me a cooked adobo nga lumiyagan from Cebu. Twas soo good. Black smile for me.

  76. those looks so good! if only calamari weren’t so expensive here (any seafood, for that matter) – i’d be buying them everyday. siiiiigh.

  77. Haven’t had rustic pusit for ages, so the taste escapes me. sigh. I’d go for the inky kind just for the taste of it.

  78. I like the black pusit. I cook pusit with three kinds of sili – siling labuyo, siling pansigang and siling bell pepper. And with kintsay too. Plus the usual bawang-sibuyas-kamatis. Pusit is pre-boiled in vinegar for 2 minutes. And I buy the “itlugan” type of pusit.

  79. Comment again MM, i’ll go for the rustic pusit, only just because i believe you’re going to feature Filipino foods…so much variation to the traditional way can dilute the uniqueness of the Filipino recipies, you can add the variants at the end of the recipies for the more adventurous ones but more importantly, please comment on the history of the dishes offered. Tnx.

  80. Mas matuling, mas manyaman! Top it with thinly slices of red bell pepper. Picky young people finds this final touch inviting. Subucan pa mo para mabalo!

  81. I prefer the black one …though your version I’m sure would probably hit the spot as well. The Black Ink is the essence of this dish and sets it apart from other dishes. I’ve been wanting to cook this dish in NYC but I can not find a squid anywhere that still has it’s ink on….whether in gourmet markets or chinatown …any help ..leads? :)

  82. jonathanrhino and others — actually, Spain has a VERY famous dish of squid in its own ink, as well as more tomato-ey based versions. So while readers are immediately assuming the “black version” is more local, I wouldn’t make that assumption so quickly. It’s certainly plausible that both versions of this dish are in fact spanish influenced. Further, many have ignored the fact that the non-ink version was featured in a very influential filipino cookbook from say 50+ years ago.

    A similar situation arises with adobo. Many now believe this is totally local, and was just given a Spanish sounding name. However, the more “traditional” adobo had absolutely NO SOY SAUCE. Yet today, 80% of pinoy cooks ( I know, according to a poll I did) prepare their adobo with soy sauce. Soy sauce was NOT a common ingredient until the 1920’s or so.

    Both dishes are delicious, but the assumption that one is more “authentic” or “local” than the other actually goes back several generations… :)

  83. I like the second version more since it reminds me of how my mommy and papa cooked it. It is how I cook it whenever I get a hold of the small squids. I haven’t tried the first version but I would like to see it in your planned cookbook. I don’t mind a bit of work in preparing food if it will yield a delicious meal.

  84. the black version please… but i would be happy to try the “refined version”…

    looking forward to get hold of your cookbook c”,)…

  85. Syempre yung may tinta, sarap sa kanin eh.. meron nga ditong Trattoria sa Oakland na nagse-servve ng pasta with squid ink, ang sarap.. reminiscent of adobo with kanin..

    Looking forward to your new book.. am sure maraming anecdota kaming matutunan about each recipe..

    Cheers —

  86. black pusit please! good luck on the cookbook! Your website has been a great help in my cooking adventures, thank you very much and God bless

  87. I love adobong pusit particularly the black ink in it. This has been my favorite dish since when I first tasted it cooked by my biyenan from pampanga… Excellent Dish!!!!!!

  88. I grew up eating the ink less type. Dad had to have it that way because how my Lola prepared it. But I honestly guessed he just didn’t like to have stained teeth. Mom would somehow find a way to cook it with their ink, lovingly preparing another dish for Dad.

    Although both bring memories of childhood, I’d guess I’d go with the black adobong pusit. Everyone having it will also have stained teeth anyway.

  89. Will go for black. I suggest putting a Spanish name ” camarones en su tinta” below the Tagalog name “adobong pusit”

  90. I love the black adobong pusit, my mom cooks this with “mantika ng baboy” and it’s so yummy…but I would also like to try the inkless version! so I vote for both!

  91. i love the rustic adobong pusit but would like to try the refined as well…why not try the chinese adobong pusit? ask the waiter in dampa resto in moa..im not sure why they call it that but the difference is in the sauce its very thick and sweet..very deliciious.

  92. Cooking the squid with the black ink will bring out the flavor of the meat, the viand a perfect companion with the hot and fluffy white rice! That’s the Pinoy way of eating it!

  93. pahabol sa comments,

    how about a recipe for the black adobong pusit with pork?

    could you help me with this one please?

    and question too on if the 2nd one is not malansa if the insides of the squid are not cleaned?

BLOG CATEGORIES

MARKETMAN ON INSTAGRAM

Subscribe To Updates

No spam, only notifications about new blog posts.