Pinakbet or pakbet is a popular Ilocano dish, from the northern regions of the Philippines, although it has become popular throughout the archipelago. The word is the contracted form of the Ilocano word pinakebbet, meaning "shrunk" or "shriveled". The original Ilocano pinakbetuses bagoong ("bugguong" in Ilokano), of fermented monamon or other fish, while further south, bagoong alamang is used. The basic vegetables used in this dish include native bitter melon, eggplant, tomato, okra, string beans, chili peppers , parda, winged beans, and others. Root crops and some beans like camote, patani, kadios are also optionally added. The young pod of marunggay is also added. It is usually spiced with ginger, onions, or garlic. A Tagalog version usually includes calabaza. Most of these vegetables are easily accessible, and are grown in backyards and gardens of most Ilocano households. As its name suggests, it is usually cooked until almost dry and shriveled; the flavors of the vegetables are accentuated with shrimp paste. In some cases, lechon, chicharon, or other meats (most commonly pork) are added. It is considered a very healthy dish, and convenient in relation to the harsh and rugged, yet fruitful Ilocos region of the Philippines.
The vegetable dish pinakbet is more than a regional cuisine. It is an enduring symbol of the Ilocano palate and a lucid display of the Ilocanos’ history of contestations and struggles with the physical and social environment. The recipe weaves intimations of the cultural productions of the Ilokanos’ transaction to their arid and less productive land.
Ingredients:
1/4 kilo of pork belly cut in cube
1/4 kilo of shrimps shells removed and deveined
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 onion
2 big tomatoes cut in cubes
1 big bunch of kangkong (you can replace this with spinach)
1 cup of squash (cut in cubes)
5 to 6 okra
3 egg plant cut in cubes (depend on size)
1 cup of string beans (sitaw)
half a cup of bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)
3 tbsp of cooking oil
half a cup of water
Procedure:
1. Start by putting the pork in a casserole with half a cup of water. Cover it and let it boil until the pork becomes tender.
2. Pour the pork broth in a bowl and reserve for later. Put back the pork and add the cooking oil.
3. Fry the pork until it becomes golden brown and crispy. Once they are golden brown take them off but leave the oil on the pan. This pork oil will give flavor to your dish.
4. Next, put the garlic, followed by onion and tomato.
5. Add the shrimps and the bagoong pour the pork broth and let it boil.
6. Then add all the vegetables starting from the longest one to cook (string beans, egg plant and okra).
7. Put on last the squash and kangkong. Simmer over low fire for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve it with fried pork on the top.
A yummy feast for all! Just make sure to mask the smell of bagoong in your home by boiling alongside your dish a pot half filled with water mixed with fabric conditioner.
No comments:
Post a Comment