Cooking adobo, beef short ribs with tablea and kapeng barako

Adobo without soy sauce might raise some eyebrows, but the Filipino palate is always ready for new adventures and Kara David in "Pinas Sarap" finds out that kapeng barako is a interesting addition to this Filipino favorite. 

Cooking "Crispy Chicken Adobo with the sauce of Kapeng Barako and Tablea" by Chef Angeli Andal of Lirabel Cafe starts with pouring brewed kapeng barako right into the pot, followed by one tablea tablet. 

The usual ingredients are added — garlic, basil leaf, chicken — to the pot and left to simmer. Once it's ready, the chicken is separated from the sauce and is shredded and fried until golden brown. 

The result is a salty, crunchy bite with each spoonful complimented by that roasted bitter flavor of kapeng barako. 

Kapeng barako and tablea are also used by Chef Mike Latayan for Imprento Modern Filipino Cuisine's version of beef short ribs. 

Although it starts with a simple sautéeing of the usual onion, garlic, and ginger, the dish takes effort to prepare. The beef is added to the pot and more ingredients follow, including beer, Pommery mustard, stock, and cayenne. 

While this mixture simmers, the ground tablea and brewed kapeng barako are added. To soften the meat, this is left to simmer for another two hours. 

One needs to taste the dish to understand its complex flavor...so next trip to Batangas, consider trying out some of these coffee- and tsokolate-infused dishes! — Aya Tantiangco, GMA News