Pinakbet
A delicious vegetable stew featuring indigenous produce like squash and beans seasoned with a seafood-tasting seasoning mix with the addition of protein like pork or shrimp.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1/2 pound pork belly cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
- 2 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 small kalabasa peeled and cut into pieces
- 8 okra ends trimmed
- 1/2 bunch long beans ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
- 1 medium ampalaya bittermelon, seeded, halved and cut into 1-inch thick
- 1 large eggplant ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch thick
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up some oil in a pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic and cook them until they become nice and soft, stirring regularly.
- Add some pork and cook it until it gets lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Mix in some shrimp paste and cook until it begins to brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add some diced tomatoes and mash them with the back of a spoon until they become soft and release their delicious juice.
- Pour in some water and bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for around 15-20 minutes or until the meat becomes tender. If the mixture starts to dry out, add more water in 1/2 cup increments to maintain about 1 cup of liquid.
- Add some squash and cook it for a couple of minutes until it becomes almost tender.
- Add some long beans and continue cooking until they become tender-crisp.
- Mix in some ampalaya, eggplant, and okra and continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through yet still tender-crisp.
- Season everything with some salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve this delectable pork and vegetable stew hot and enjoy with rice or bread.