Add a taste of Southeast Asia to a protein-packed snack with this recipe for Filipino Adobo Eggs, marinated to absorb all the wonderful and distinct flavors of adobo sauce with a kick of chilis for good measure.
Eggs are one of my favorite foods. They feature throughout my day: in the morning when I want an omelet, fried or boiled on a bed of rice or greens for the afternoon, after dinner when I’m baking dessert, or, more frequently, as a snack straight from the shell.
My friends don’t understand because they don’t know what I know. While hard-boiled eggs are perfectly sufficient with just a few shakes of salt and pepper upon them, they become a gourmet snack with adobo.
This adobo sauce has its roots in the Philippines, where it is used as a marinade for various proteins like pork, chicken, or even tofu. But with this recipe, I’m going to teach you how to apply it to another protein source: eggs.
What is adobo?
Adobo, which comes from the Spanish word adobar, means “to marinade”, “pickle”, or “season”. You may have come across a few varieties of adobo, depending on where in the world you find yourself. For example, Mexican adobo is heavier on the spices and more like a rich paste. However, for this Filipino adobo recipe, we’re combining water, soy sauce, honey, bay leaves, garlic, and vinegar, creating a liquid marinade. Then we stir it up and let the eggs chill in it for between two and eight hours. In fact, that’s the hardest part of this recipe—having the discipline to wait until the eggs have totally absorbed the adobo flavor!
How do I store leftovers?
You can keep your adobo eggs in an airtight container (a Ziploc bag will do nicely) in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep them sealed tightly and away from the door so the temperature remains consistent. This will allow your eggs to stay fresher.
Serving suggestions
I like my adobo eggs as a snack on their own, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pair them with other foods. Placing them atop a bed of plain or Cilantro-Lime Rice is one way to go, especially if you have some of the marinade left, which you can then pour over the rice. They also make great additions to soups like ramen or congee. Consider chopping or slicing the egg and adding it to your next Cobb or potato salad. This can be an interesting twist on standard salad flavors.
You could also experiment with these adobo eggs in recipes that require boiled eggs, like this Egg Salad Sandwich, or you can have some fun and even transform your next Deviled Eggs Recipe. Just keep in mind, I prefer my eggs soft-boiled, so if you’re looking to include these in recipes that require hard-boiled eggs, be sure to add three to five minutes to the cook time, taking it to between nine and eleven minutes.
Filipino Adobo Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 jalapeño or serrano chilis diced
- 1 red chili Thai, Fresno, or your favorite, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Instructions
- Gently place the eggs in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. When there are 2 minutes left, ready a large bowl with ice and water to cool the eggs quickly after boiling.
- After 6 minutes, transfer the eggs to the ice bath.
- Combine water, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey in a bowl. Stir in the minced garlic, diced chilis, bay leaf, and black pepper until well mixed.
- After peeling, submerge the eggs in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for best flavor.
- Slice the marinated eggs and serve them as desired.
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