Pinakbet

Name: Pinakbet
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 4 portions
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 300 g · 2 cups squash (kalabasa), cubed; 200 g · 1 eggplant eggplant (talong), sliced; 150 g · 10 pods okra; 150 g · 1 small bitter melon (ampalaya), sliced; 150 g · 1¼ cups string beans (sitaw), cut; 200 g · 2 tomatoes tomatoes, chopped; 100 g · 1 small onion, chopped; 16 g · 4 cloves garlic, minced; 45 g · 3 tbsp shrimp paste (bagoong) or fish sauce; 240 ml · 1 cup water; 30 ml · 2 tbsp cooking oil; 200 g · 7 oz pork belly, optional, small pieces

🍽 Serves 4⏱ Prep 20 min🔥 Cook 25 min🌍 Filipino

An Ilocano vegetable stew of squash, eggplant, okra, bitter melon and string beans flavoured with bagoong.

📍 Ilocos · Philippines

The story of the dish

Pinakbet is the everyday vegetable dish of the Ilocos region, using what grows in the backyard garden and fermented fish (bagoong) for salt.

The name: Pinakbet comes from the Ilocano pinakebbet, 'shrunk' or 'shrivelled', for the vegetables cooked down.

Ingredients

Ingredient	EUg · ml	UScups · spoons
squash (kalabasa) cubed	≈ 300 g	≈ 2 cups
eggplant (talong) sliced	≈ 200 g	≈ 1 eggplant
okra	≈ 150 g	≈ 10 pods
bitter melon (ampalaya) sliced	≈ 150 g	≈ 1 small
string beans (sitaw) cut	≈ 150 g	≈ 1¼ cups
tomatoes chopped	≈ 200 g	≈ 2 tomatoes
onion chopped	≈ 100 g	≈ 1 small
garlic minced	≈ 16 g	≈ 4 cloves
shrimp paste (bagoong) or fish sauce	≈ 45 g	≈ 3 tbsp
water	≈ 240 ml	≈ 1 cup
cooking oil	≈ 30 ml	≈ 2 tbsp
pork belly optional, small pieces	≈ 200 g	≈ 7 oz

≈ amount suggested from similar recipes

Tools & equipment

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Also used: wok or deep pan · cutting board · wooden spoon

Method

Fry the pork (if using) until golden, then add garlic, onion and tomatoes and cook until soft.
Stir in the bagoong and cook 2 minutes.
Add the water and the squash and simmer 5 minutes.
Add the string beans, okra, eggplant and bitter melon on top.
Cover and steam-cook 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan instead of stirring.
Serve with rice when the vegetables are just tender.

👨‍🍳 Chef’s tips

Shake the pan rather than stir, so the vegetables stay whole.

📱 Scan to watch me cook ityoutu.be/MZiIyIOi2TEEvery step on video, and new recipes every week: subscribe on YouTube.

Nutrition per portion estimate · 1 of 4

280kcal

12 gprotein

20 gcarbs

18 gfat

Allergens

CrustaceansFish

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▶ Watch me cook it: youtu.be/MZiIyIOi2TE

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