Chicken Adobo with Okra and Sunchokes

Name: Chicken Adobo with Okra and Sunchokes
Ingredients: canola oil; 2 pounds chicken thighs, skin-on, bone- in, trimmed of excess fat pockets and extra skin; 1 cup white vinegar *; 1/2 cup water; 1/3 cup kikkoman soy sauce; 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns; 6 bay leaves,cracked; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 tablespoons cold water; 1/2-3/4 pound whole okra pods, washed, optional; 1/2 pound sunchokes sliced 1/4 inch thick into rounds, cut in half, optional; 1-2 cups cooked grain like short grain brown rice, wheatberries, red qiunoa