MY Adobo reciepe varies slightly:
I use a equal amounts of soy sauce and vinegar, add a touch of brown sugar and don’t use ginger. Add enough water to cover meat and simmer until done. I also usually cook both bone in chicken and bone in pork in the same batch. Also, I sometimes put the chicken in the oven to crisp up the skin after cooking.
Boneless, skinless chicken and boneless pork just don’t pass muster in this dish!
As you say this may well be the Philippine national dish but there are there are probably as many versions as there are households.
You’re right about the many versions of adobo, kind of like turkey stuffing or meatloaf - each cook does it differently.
I usually use just chicken thighs instead of a cut up fryer, and the ginger is a bit out of the ordinary according to my Filipino friends. Startin’ to get hungry here...