I remember my mom used to cook a healthy vegetable mix when I was younger. She hailed from the northern part of the country which is known for cooking delicious and healthy foods.
This vegetable dish I will share with you is called pakbet or pinakbet. It is an indigenous food made of mixed vegetables sautéed in shrimp paste or alamang na hipon.
Though different regions have varied versions, I will do my best to imitate my mother's style of cooking. I may not be able to do it perfectly the way she cooked it, but just the thought of this home-cooked dish brings back old memories.
Okay before I lost track of time on my trip down memory lane, here is the recipe. 😅
INGREDIENTS
Vegetables
1 piece Bitter Gourd
3 pcs Eggplant
250g Squash
100g Lady's Finger
75g String Beans
250g Pork
Spices
1 piece Red Onion
1 clove Garlic
1 slice Ginger
1 pc Red Bell Pepper
2 tsp Shrimp Paste
1 tsp Fish Sauce
PROCEDURE
Do not use cooking oil. Instead, put a little water in a pan and add the pork.
Let it simmer until pork's own oil comes out. Saute the pork until it is golden brown.
Trivia * 💡
In this procedure of cooking pork in its own oil, derived the Filipino idiom *ginisa sa sariling mantika* which means one is asked to do something which will harm him in the end.
Next to saute are the spices, garlic, onion, ginger, and shrimp paste.
Add the vegetables string beans, squash, lady's finger, bitter gourd , eggplant and red bell pepper.
Add 1/4 cup water, fish sauce to taste and simmer for 10 minutes.
Our Pinakbet is cooked!
Serve while it's hot.
Mangan tayon! ( Ilocano dialect term for Let's eat!).