Pinakbet

The basic ingredients of this dish are local vegetables and shrimp paste, so even when one veggie is missing or you either use meat or seafood, you will still have that “pinakbet” vibe. It is very Filipino, from the manner of cooking to the ingredients employed. Usually it involves squash, eggplant, lady fingers (okra), and bitter gourd to say the least. But even having only half of the vegetables required, I decided to prepare Pinakbet the other day. And here is the result.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo pork, sliced into small bite size pieces
4 to 6 pieces prawn
1 large egg plant, sliced
6 to 8 pieces okra
1 piece onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp shrimp paste
1 cup water
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. In a skillet, fry the pork until golden brown. In the same pan, sauté the garlic and onion.
2. Add the shrimp paste and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
3. Check pork if tender then add the vegetables and prawns. Let it simmer.

Serve hot with rice.

Cheers,
Jane