Ingredients:

1/3 cup soy sauce, reduced sodium
1/3 cup rice vinegar
4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or rough chopped
1 bay leaf
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
4 oz maitake mushroom, cleaned root ends removed, pieces separated
4 oz white beech mushroom, cleaned, root ends removed, stems separated
8 oz baby bok choy, sliced on the diagonal into 1-2 inch wide strips
4 cups chicken stock, reduced sodium
4 green onions, white and light green, thinly sliced
Chili garlic sauce
1 cup uncooked brown jasmine rice to be cooked according to package directions

Spoon Mage™ Note:

Adobo is a chicken or pork stew from the Philippines. The special flavor comes from a just so balance of soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic. In this recipe, the adobo is thinned to soup consistency and the savory meat element was replaced with two types of mushrooms. The whole is then served in a bowl either over or nestled next to brown jasmine rice. Enjoy the goodness.

My favorite brand of low sodium soy sauce and rice vinegar is Wan Ja Shan. Nakano also makes a terrific rice vinegar. Both brands can be found in Asian markets and in many larger grocery stores.

Should you not find the types of mushrooms the recipe calls for, do not fret. Just purchase white and brown button mushrooms or shitake and button mushrooms. The flavor will not be exactly the same, but it will be good.

Timing the brown rice depends upon the brand and type of rice you chose. Some may take 50 minutes to cook with another 10 minutes to sit. If you choose long cooking rice, start that first. It can always sit with the lid on while the soup cooks. Uncle Bens makes a great brown rice that is much quicker to fix. The texture is not quite as firm as a good Thai brown jasmine, but if that is what you have, then that is what you use. It will be terrific.

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and bay leaf. Simmer briskly for a few minutes and then keep on very low so the mixture remains hot.

In a large pot set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent.

Add the mushrooms, raise the heat to medium high, and sauté until the mushroom liquid is evaporated.

Add the bok choy and stir for 2-3 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf from the soy sauce mixture.

Add the soy sauce mixture to the pot and simmer one minute.

Add the chicken stock, bring to a high simmer and then reduce heat to medium low.

Meanwhile, make the brown rice.

To serve, add a dollop of rice to each bowl, ladle in a bit of soup, garnish with green onions, and season with hot chili sauce.