Pinakbet

Pinakbet is what I like to call as a “vegetarian dish in disguise”. The main attraction in pinakbet is the vegetables. The meat is almost an afterthought and the shrimp paste is added for a better kick. It’s quick and easy dish to make, making it perfect for the weekdays. I’ll admit that as a child it wasn’t my favorite dish, but with so many vegetables to choose from in this dish, I didn’t find hard to eat.

A note on the ingredients: I know there are several varieties of squash, especially in North America. If you can, try to use calabaza squash (known locally as kalabasa). On the other hand, bitter gourd (also known as bitter melon) is my least favorite vegetable. Why? Because it is extremely bitter. Technically it's a fruit but it's often used as a vegetable when cooking, like tomatoes and squash. In the Philippines, we call it ampalaya, a name that still send shivers down my spine. If cooked well though, it loses some of it's bitterness and can actually taste good. The shrimp paste also helps a lot.

Bitter gourd

That brings me to shrimp paste. Shrimp paste is found all over Southeast Asia. There are several different varieties. In the Philippines, it's call bagoong. If cooked, it goes quite well with unripe mangoes, balancing the mangoes' sour taste with its saltiness. It is made by fermenting ground up shrimp or tiny little shrimp.

Shrimp paste

A bottle of shrimp paste

Pinakbet

3 teaspoons vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/8 kg chicken breast, sliced into cubes

1/8 of squash sliced into cube (if your squash is smaller, use more)

1/4 cup water

1 eggplant, sliced diagonally

2 small bitter gourds, seeds removed and sliced thinly

4 okras, sliced diagonally

½ tablespoon shrimp paste

1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

salt and pepper (to taste)

Heat a saute pan (or wok) over medium low heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot enough, saute the onion until it becomes translucent. Then add the garlic and cook until golden brown. Add the tomato. Cook until it is tender. Add the chicken breast, squash and bitter gourds. Add water as needed. Try not to add too much water. When the chicken looks cooked, add the egg plant and the okra. When all the vegetables are cooked and the squash is tender, add the shrimp paste and the bouillon cube. If it still requires some salt, add some at this stage, though based on my experience, it usually doesn't require salt any more. Serve with freshly cooked rice.