Pinakbet

Pinakbet is a vegetable dish from the Philippines that can be served as an everyday dish or when you have company. Since it also contains pork and prawns, you can eat it as a one-pot meal. This vegetable stew makes one hearty and delicious dinner meal!

My husband usually requests this vegetable medley when we’re tired of eating meat. Although it is usually cooked with pork, we love ours with only shrimps as protein. But, if you want to add pork. you can do so by adding Lechon kawali after it’s cooked. For me what sets aside Pinakbet from other vegetable dishes is the addition of shrimp paste. It really gives the dish a complexity in taste that makes it unique.

This recipe may not be traditional but it sure is tasty and very easy to make. A good way to get your children to like vegetables. I usually serve this with a side of fried or steamed fish and steamed rice.

One thing to remember though, using the freshest vegetables is ideal for pinakbet. Frozen vegetables just don’t cut it. And hey, who doesn’t want to cook with fresh ingredients anyways!

You might also like:

• Quick and Easy Boiled Potatoes and Herbs.
• Steamed Stuffed Fish.
• Spinach Laing.

The secret ingredient is always LOVE

Tips for Pinakbet

• Cut all vegetables in the same size as much as possible. Not only will it look nice but also so they all cook evenly and avoid others from getting mushy while waiting for the rest to cook.
• Add vegetables depending on how long they cook. Those that take longer come in first. Normally the squash comes first then bitter gourd, eggplants, and yard-long beans.