This has been sitting in my draft folder for far too long and is past overdue.LOL.
I would have posted it first, but I think I put it on hold while I posted portions about it to the Friday Photo Challenge. So, yeah, I simply wanted to share my pinakbet in detail in case anyone is interested. 馃槉
Pinakbet is a native Filipino dish from the Philippines' northern provinces. Pakbet for short, is a dish comprised of mixed vegetables and pork meat that is seasoned with "Bagoong" (Anchovy sauce). Bagoong is usually used in the northern region, whilst " Bagoong Alamang " (shrimp sauce) is preferred in the southern region. The word pinakbet is derived from the Ilocano word 'Pinakebbet' , which means "shriveled" or "shrunk." This pakbet or pinakbet vegetable dish is more than just a local delicacy. It represents the Ilocano palate.
Bittergourd is commonly used in this meal (ampalaya). Other vegetables used in this dish include aubergine, tomato, okra, and string beans. If you wish to add other vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash, and other types of beans like patani and kadios, that is all up to you. For me, the more vegetables, the better. Then, to spice it up, ginger, onions, and garlic are added.
The majority of these veggies are readily available and are produced in the backyards and gardens of most Ilocano houses. It is frequently cooked until practically dry and shrivelled, as the name implies.
These are the ingredients I had. Because I enjoy it with squash and sweet potatoes, my version of pinakbet always includes those two. They claim that adding squash changes the original Ilocano pakbet and makes it more Tagalog. I'm Ilocana, yet I still prefer mine with squash. He he! Bitter gourd, okra, and string beans were amongst my green vegetables. I always add winged beans, but the shop was out of it. Tomato, ginger, and onion were my spices. I also added pork meat to make it more savory.
The following photographs will show you how I cooked my version of pinakbet. I cook Pinakbet just when I feel like it, which isn't often. Probably every two to three months. It's pretty simple to make; it's the preparation that I dislike because it takes time to do the vegetables one at a time. To be honest, I am not a cook, but when I have a craving and put it in my mind, I can make it happen and the result is amazing. At least for me. 馃槄馃槀
To begin, place the cut pork meat in a cooking pot. Pour in just enough water to bring it to a boil to soften it. After it has dried, stir fried it until golden.
Once golden and the oil has come out from the pork, pour some water depending on how many veggies you have. Mine was a full cup as I wanted it not dry like the traditional one. Then, pour some 'Bagoong'
( Anchovy sauce ) too, to taste.
Then, to add flavour, add the sliced onion, ginger, and tomato.
Right after, add the sweet potatoes. I picked Japanese sweet potatoes since they are sweeter than local sweet potatoes.
Put the lid on and let boil for at least 3 minutes.
And from there,add the other vegetables, bitter gourd first, squash second, okra third, string beans, and aubergine last.
Oh NO!!!! I had way too many vegetables and far too little pot!馃う馃徎馃檮
As a result, I had to move it to a larger one. HAHAHA!
There, there better.
Errrrr. 馃檮
Dang! Hahaha. I can't do much because this is the largest cookware pot I own. It did, however, work in the end since the vegetables shrank as they cooked. 馃槄
Tadaaaaaa! Ladies and gentlemen, my Pinakbet. Wohoooo. 馃榿
Thank you fellow 
馃槉馃槏
chichi18