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Ingredients You'll Need
Notes and Substitutions
- Sitaw: Also called yardlong beans or Filipino long beans. They're long, crisp, and soak up adobo sauce well. If you can't find sitaw, green beans or string beans work too.
- Pork: I used pork belly for extra flavor, but you can swap in shrimp, tofu, chicken, or ground meat. You can also leave out the meat completely to keep it vegetarian or vegan.
- Vinegar: Cane or coconut vinegar works best, but white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar are fine too.
- Soy sauce: Regular soy sauce works well. You can use low-sodium if you prefer. Taste as you cook since salt levels vary by brand.
How to Make Adobong Sitaw
Step 1: Prepare the sauce
In a bowl, combine:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup of water
Mix and set aside.
Step 2: Prepare the sitaw
Trim off the ends, then cut the sitaw into about 2-inch pieces. Give them a quick rinse to remove any dirt, then set aside.
Step 3: Blanch the sitaw
Bring a pot of water to a boil. If you want, add a pinch of baking soda to help keep the sitaw green.
Add the sitaw and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just tender but still a little crisp.
Scoop them out right away and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
Step 4: Brown the pork
Heat a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add 8 ounces of sliced pork belly and ½ cup water. Let it cook until the water evaporates.
Lower the heat to medium. As the pork cooks, it will release its own fat. Let it continue cooking in that fat until browned and lightly crispy.
Push the pork to one side of the pan.
Step 5: Sauté the aromatics
Over medium heat, sauté 4 garlic cloves (minced) and ½ onion (fnely chopped) until softened.
Step 6: Add the sitaw and chili peppers
Add the blanched sitaw and chili peppers, if using.
Toss everything together and cook for 1-2 minutes, just until the sitaw is heated through.
Step 7: Add the sauce
Pour in the adobo sauce and toss everything together. Let it cook until the sauce thickens slightly.
Season with black pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.
Serve and enjoy your adobong sitaw with steamed white rice or sinangag for a complete meal.
How to Store
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a pan over medium heat. Add a small amount of water if the sauce looks dry.
Cooking Tips
- Don't overcook the sitaw - it should stay tender but still have a little bite.
- Taste before adding more soy sauce. Brands vary, and it's easy to make this too salty.
- If adding meat, brown it first before adding the beans for better flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Sitaw are yardlong beans commonly used in Filipino cooking. They are long, thin, and slightly crisp, and they soak up adobo sauce well.
Yes. If you can't find sitaw, regular green beans or string beans work well. The texture is similar, though sitaw are longer and slightly more tender.
It can be. Just skip the pork or shrimp and use the adobo sauce with the beans alone.
Blanching helps keep the beans bright green and prevents them from overcooking later in the sauce.
Filipino Dishes with Sitaw
- Ginataang kalabasa: Squash and sitaw cooked in coconut milk.
- Pinakbet: Mixed vegetables cooked with shrimp paste.
- Sinigang: A sour soup with pork, shrimp, or fish.
- Bicol express: A spicy pork dish with coconut milk and shrimp paste.
- Ginisang sitaw: Sautéed sitaw with aromatics.
Other Vegetable Recipes You May Like
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📖 Recipe
Adobong Sitaw (Yardlong Beans Adobo)
Equipment
- Small pot (for blanching)
- Wok or large pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound sitaw (yardlong beans) cut into 2-inch sections
- 8 ounces pork belly or shoulder thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1-2 chili peppers sliced; optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Neutral oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and ¼ cup water. Set aside.
- Trim the sitaw ends and cut into 2-inch pieces. Blanch for 2-3 minutes, then drain.
- Cook pork with water until liquid evaporates, then let it brown in its own fat. Push to one side of the pan.
- Add oil if needed, then sauté garlic until fragrant.
- Add the sitaw (and chilies, if using). Cook 1-2 minutes until heated through.
- Pour in the prepared sauce. Toss everything together and simmer until sauce slightly thickens. Season with black pepper, then turn off heat.
Notes
- Tofu: Use firm or extra-firm so it holds its shape and soaks up the sauce.
- Mushrooms: Use hearty mushrooms (shiitake, king oyster, cremini, or portobello) so they don't fall apart.
- Soy sauce: Regular works best. Low-sodium is fine - just taste before adding more.
- Don't overcook the sitaw.
- Brown the pork first for better flavor.
- Taste before adding more soy sauce.
Jean says
Yum!!
Nora Reyes says
Thank you, Jean!