Recipe: Adobong Pusit (Vinegar Stewed Squid in its Ink: a legacy recipe)

My eldest brother, quite the sentimental soul that he is being eight years older than I am reminisces home cooking as something that is locked forever is some treasure-trove waiting to be rediscovered as the original maker of the dish has already either forgotten it or worse, has passed away. 

A case in point, my brother remembers this dish – the simple Adobong Pusit which is nothing more than squid, preferably freshly caught and sold in the wet market, brought back home and sautéed plainly in garlic with a bit of vinegar and, salt and pepper.  For him, the person who can cook this dish best and evoke the most “ooohs” and “aaahs” from diners consuming this black ambrosia (as the squid contained so much fresh ink unlike old squid) is my Di-I, Ensuida Co Siy Go (1922 – 2006?).  Mrs. Go, who has passed away about ten years ago, used to live in the family compound owned by her (and my mother’s) grandfather, Siy Yo Co (18?-1937)  located in the posh residential district of Manila known as Dimasalang. 

The movie, "Dimasalang", portraying the
street in the late 1960's as something of
a "No Man's Land".

But wait a minute – if I recall right, Dimasalang is the county of petty street crooks, punks, truant kids known as “canto boys” and prostitutes.  And  minor crimes and stabbings are a daily reality.  True – probably in late twentieth and early twenty-first century Manila.  But the house was built in the 1920’s by my great-grandfather at a time when the posh mansions were being built there left and right, just as Tondo was at the turn of the Century and MH del Pilar was formerly known as Calle Real with its beautiful palatial estates of the late Spanish era. By the time my brother was a small kid growing up in Dimasalang was the early 1960’s  it was an ordinary though safe neighborhood.  My grandmother, separated from her husband who admitted to philandering (a hush-hush fact but its true), chose to live in this house while my grandfather stayed in their house located in Apo, Quezon City with his Filipina companion.   It is in Dimasalang that she cooked meals for her children and her children's children that my Father, Mother, my eldest two siblings, my Uncles and Aunts and their children and the in-laws got to taste her cooking until she was transported, as I am, to the US to live with one of her children, my Uncle in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Di-I, in the absence of my grandmother, being her "sous chef", carried on this tradition.  Unfortunately, my parent's house got built in 1965, the year I was born and I never to got to stay in this house filled with good memories and good cooking though I got to see its "stone mansion walls" typical of the "Bahay na Bato" style and its classic interiors.  This family estate underwent several remodelings which is quite sad.  And as the surroundings became busy so did street crime increased.  Later, as the years rolled by, Di-I and my Uncle, her husband, along with her brood transferred to Malabon so that they could tend to the business which was partly owned by the family, POPI known as Pacific Oil.   But being in Malabon only increased the potential of this pitch black dish because the squids were the freshest of the fresh and besides, it was, and still is, the hometown of the Philippine's most popular condiment (besides the Kalamansi fruit), Rufina patis. 

My Di-I, Aunt Ensuida behind my
grandmother with her daughter, Nene.

I have a feeling that the cooking method that inspired Di-I to create this inky, stinky yet superb seafood mélange was inspired by her mother (i.e. my grandmother), Co Bit vda. de Siy (1906-1987), who had a tendency to stew.  And by using the freshest small squids that  she can buy, the strewing process made an adobo with the blackest sauce, thick enough to mix so well with the vinegar and spices that though the rice and one’s teeth may turn ebony; still, it provided one with gustatory delight. 

The other factor, I believe that made this dish unique is the use of patis as the condiment to provide its saltiness.  Now, as a point of discussion on the difference of this fish sauce vis other fish sauces of Asia; historically patis is the byproduct of natural fermentation and settlement of fish bagoong yielding this amber clear liquid which is cooked and pasteurized after extraction.  There is the use of brine in the process.  The Vietnamese/Thai variety of fish sauce, called nuoc mam; however, is derived from the extraction of the intrinsic  liquid from the fish via a salting process and usually yields a more pungent rather than the aromatic variety of the Philippine patis.  Therefore, the patis is a lighter condiment compared to nuoc mam and added to the squid, it makes more intense yet somewhat disciplined saltiness. 

These were the happiest of times (ca. 1963?) with my
Mom and Dad at the last row on the right and my two
eldest brothers, Herminio Jr. (b. 1960) standing with
my Grandmother (seated) and Francisco III (b. 1957)
kneeling at the frontmost right.

In this recipe, I attempted to recreate this inky dish.  The problem is, where can we find the blackest of the black and the freshest of the small squids.  For one thing, most of the squids sold in the supermarket have been processed with the clear plastic-like bone taken out and the thin film which gives the squid its characteristic light black spots removed.  Worse, there is no ink or if there is, most of them have been washed away. Now, if one is lucky, one can get squids that are relatively "intact" though still frozen with its ink and black spot markings although, I think the ink is not as much as the freshly caught one.  Therefore, to compensate, I chose to replenish what has been removed from the squid with ink purchased though bottles and these can be acquired by shopping through Amazon. 

Adobong Pusit (American Recreation of Ensuida Go Siy's Recipe as probably inspired by Co Bit vda. de Siy) 

Ingredients. 

• 1 pound squid (usually size of finger which is difficult to find, may substitute larger squid but the smaller the better as they would be more tender) 
• 1/2 head garlic, peeled and chopped finely 
• 1 tbsp patis (depending on saltiness desired) 
• 1/2 tbsp. black peppercorns, freshly ground 
• 1/2 cup vinegar 
• 1 tbsp squid ink (available from gourmet food shops of Amazon.com) 

Procedure. 

1. If one can buy small fresh squid, the better but just quickly wash with running water and pat dry with paper towels to keep water at a minimum.  Usually, the frozen squid with heads and directly frozen upon catching is about two or three fingerbreadths size.  In this case, lightly wash with water and remove the insides especially the entrails and the clear plastic like bone.  The large calamari will also do, but the entrails need to come out as well as the plastic like bone.  If there are ink sacs, save them for the ink but usually, frozen processed squid has already this discarded away.  For large squids, remove entrail and slice them open and after cutting them into flat pieces of about 1 x 1/2 inch and score lightly on the surface with a sharp knife.  These score marks help in the tenderizing process during cooking. 
2. Using a very hot wok, pour about 1/8 cup oil and sauté the garlic until light brown and add the peppercorns and saute further until fragrant. 
3. Add the squid and sauté well.  Season with patis and vinegar.  Add more patis according to taste.  Add the squid ink and simmer the flame until reduced.  It is expected that the squid will be cooked thoroughly and as this is not expected in most ways of cooking squid (especially in Mediterranean cooking), but this is how this dish is prepared.  The squid will be meaty in texture with a bite but tender. Serve hot. 

Tips. 

• I know.  I know that the squid may be "overdone" but this is the typical adobo pusit in the Philippines.  What makes the dish more appetizing is the contrast of the vinegar to the brine in a background of saltiness coming from both the patis and the squid ink.  The squid ink has a creamy flavor with a sliminess somewhat reminiscent of the Beluga.  Folks, if you are curious what is the taste of caviar that is running at $250.00 per ounce, this is it -- squid ink.  The difference is that squid ink is blacker than caviar and it is difficult to wash away which makes it a no-no for people of royalty.  Can you think of Prince Harry smiling to his adoring fans with a set of black teeth and lips that put Wednesday Adams to shame? 
• If one wants a less "overdone" squid, remove the squid after stewing for about four or five minutes leaving the rest of the liquids in the pot to reduce.  Once the desired consistency is reached, add the squid and serve immediately.