Pinakbet (Filipino Vegetable Stew)
Pinakbet is a nutritious and hearty Filipino vegetable stew. This is perfect with a side of grilled meats or simply on its own as a main entree!
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- *(Optional): 1/2 lb pork belly strips, cut into 1u0022 chunks
- 1 small onion, julienned
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 roma tomato, chopped
- *2 -3 tablespoons bagoong guisado (sautéd Flipino shrimp paste), to preference
- 1/2 small squash, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup water (or more if you like it soupy)
- 5 -7 okras, stems trimmed and cut into halves
- 1 bunch yard-long beans, cut into 3-inch lengths
- 1 small chinese eggplant, cut in half and into 3” chunks
- 1 small bitter melon, de-seeded, halved, and cut into slices 1” thick
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- 1
In a large pan or wok, add in your pork belly. Let the pork cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned and its fats begin to render.*If omitting the pork; skip this step and substitute with 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil.
- 2
Lower the heat to medium and add in the onions, garlic, and black pepper. Stir and cook until fragrant and the onions have softened.
- 3
Add in the tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes soften and have begun to release their juices.
- 4
Add in the shrimp paste and stir, sautéing it for about a minute.
- 5
Pour in water and the squash. Cover, and let simmer for about 3-5 minutes. You'll want to soften the squash just enough until mildly soft when poked with a fork, but not to the point of being mushy.
- 6
Add in the yard-long beans, bitter melon, eggplant, and okra. Cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- 7
Taste the pinakbet. Season with more bagoong, salt, and/or black pepper to taste. You can also pour in more water if you prefer it to be more on the saucy side.
- 8
Serve with rice as a main, or as a side dish with fried fish or grilled meat. Enjoy!