Pinakbet

Cooked, Styled & Photographed by Mayette Garcia.

Pinakbet (also known as pakbet) is a popular vegetable-rich Filipino dish associated wih the Ilocos region of the Philippines. Pinakbet is the contracted form of the Ilocano word pinakebbet, meaning “shrunk” or “shriveled.”

The iconic vegetables used in this dish include bitter melon, eggplant, tomato, ginger, okra, string beans, lima beans, chili peppers, parda and winged beans. It is sometimes thought that the “Pinakbet Tagalog” is characterized by the inclusion of squash, though the distinction is not widely recognized.

Pakbet is usually cooked until almost dry and shriveled. The flavors of the vegetables are emphasized and accentuated by bagoong (shrimp paste).

“Budburan ng chicharon ang Pinakbet Ilokano.”

Ingredients: bitter gourd, okra, beans, squash, shrimp, eggplant, chicharon
Mga Sangkap: ampalaya, okra, sitaw, kalabasa, hipon, talong, tsitsaron

ONE RECIPE FOR A PARTICULAR PAKBET

1 tali sitaw
2 cups squash
2 tbsp. cooking oil
100 grams pork
1 pc. ampalaya
1 pc. onion
5 pcs. okra
1 pc tomato
2 pcs talong
3 pcs garlic
bagoong

Place the pork in the pan, then add about a tablespoon of water to encourage it to become soft. Wait until the oil/fat emerges.
Saute the garlic, onion and tomato.
Add the bagoong.
Wait until cooked.
Then add the string beans and squash.
Once half-cooked, add the okra, ampalaya and eggplant.
Once the eggplant is about to be done, add a cup of water and let simmer for about two more minutes.