Pinakbet (Filipino Vegetable Stew)

5 from 1 vote

Pinakbet (Filipino Vegetable Stew)

Pinakbet is a Filipino vegetable stew of squash, eggplant, bitter melon, long beans, and okra simmered with bagoong until tender and deeply savory. One pan, about 35 minutes, easy to customize with shrimp, pork, or kept fully vegetarian

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: dinner, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, filipino

Servings: people

Calories: 187kcal

Author: Rose Sioson

Equipment

1 Wok or skillet

Ingredients

4 cloves Garlic crushed
¾ cup Onion chopped
2 pieces Tomatoes chopped
1 pound Shrimp
1 tablespoon Shrimp paste
2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
2 cups Long Beans/ Sitaw Cut at about 1 ½ inch
2 cups Ampalaya/ Bitter Gourd sliced
2 cups Eggplant/ Talong sliced
2 cups Kabocha Squash chopped
8 pieces Okra ends trimmed
2 tablespoon Cooking oil avocado oil, canola oil or coconut oil

Instructions

Prepare the base: Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onions until fragrant and translucent.
4 cloves Garlic, 2 tablespoon Cooking oil, ¾ cup Onion
Add Shrimp: Add in the shrimp and cook until pink. Cook for about 2 mins each side then remove the shrimp from the pan.
1 pound Shrimp
Cook the vegetables: Add tomatoes and cook until softened.
2 pieces Tomatoes
Add shrimp paste and seasoning: Stir in the shrimp paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add oyster sauce.
1 tablespoon Shrimp paste, 2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
Simmer with veggies: Add the squash, long beans, ampalaya, eggplant, and okra. Pour in a little water and cover the pan. Let everything simmer until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
2 cups Long Beans/ Sitaw, 2 cups Ampalaya/ Bitter Gourd, 2 cups Eggplant/ Talong, 2 cups Kabocha Squash, 8 pieces Okra
Final taste check: Adjust the seasoning with more shrimp paste or oyster sauce if needed.
Serve: Enjoy with steamed rice.

Notes

Don’t overcook the veggies: You want them tender but not mushy, so check frequently.
Balance the flavors: Adjust the shrimp paste to suit your taste—start with less, then add more if needed.
Cook the bitter gourd last: Ampalaya tends to overcook easily, so add it towards the end to keep some crunch.

Nutrition