Pinakbet

PINAKBET is a merry mix of vegetables with meat all embraced by the Pinoy favorite - bago-ong. And there are many ways of cooking pinakbet and its mainly on the meat component and the type of bago-ong used. But the vegetable component almost remain the same - kalabasa, ampalaya, sitaw, okra and talong.

Here's a simple recipe for Pinakbet using the Ilonggo bago-ong called Guinamos.

Ingredients

• 1/4 kilo Pork slices (You can also use tulapho)
• 1/1 cup Shrimps, deveined
• 1 Tbsp. guinamos (Ilonggo bago-ong)
• 1 bundle hantak (string beans/sitaw)
• 1 medium kalabasa (squash), cubed
• 2 pcs. amargoso (ampalaya/bittermelon), sliced, soaked in salt and water
• 10 pcs okra, halved
• 3 pcs  medium talong (eggplant), cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 cloves. garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced
• Salt 
• Pepper
• Oil
• Water
• Kalkag (dried alamang), optional

How to Cook Pinakbet

1. In a wok set on medium heat, stir fry pork in its fat.
2. Saute-in ginger, garlic and onion until golden brown. Add oil if necessary
3. Add shrimps then bago-ong and continue to stir-fry.
4. Season with salt and pepper (or seasoning mix). 
5. Place vegetables on top of the pork and shrimps. 
6. Add a cup of water and cover. Do not mix. Just give the whole pan a sort of "shake".
7. Simmer until vegetables are cooked. Check if kalabasa is already soft.
8. Remove from heat and give it a toss to mix the meat and veggies.
9. Sprinkle with kalkag if desired. Serve with rice.

The measurements are just guides in this recipe as you can always make some taste adjustments along the way. Jus make sure you taste what you are cooking from time to time in order to make the best of this recipe. Enjoy

from ILOILO FOOD TRIP http://bit.ly/2KcEEyl