By Angela Dimayuga
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- 4(99)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Filipino cooking embraces salt — perhaps the legacy of life in a tropical climate, where, before refrigeration, food had to be preserved. The primary salt in pinkabet, a vegetable stew, is bagoong, a satisfyingly funky paste of fermented shrimp or fish. As with miso, there are many types of bagoong: dry or oily, toasted or raw, bright pink and briny or dark brown and faintly sweet. I like to use the pink variety because of the large formations of salt crystals. Paired with the toasted and caramelized tomato paste, the bagoong achieves a deep, concentrated umami flavor, enough to season all the vegetables.
Featured in: Angela Dimayuga’s 10 Essential Filipino Recipes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 12 servings (makes about 12 cups)
- 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola
- 12garlic cloves, smashed
- 3tablespoons tomato paste
- 5tablespoons bagoong (Filipino fermented shrimp paste), preferably the untoasted pink variety
- 3very ripe tomatoes, halved, then each half cubed into 4 quarters
- 2large yellow onions, halved, then each half cubed into 4 quarters
- 10ounces kabocha squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1½tablespoons kosher salt
- 1pound okra, ends trimmed
- ½pound long beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2Japanese eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1bittermelon, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, then cut into ½-inch moons
- Steamed jasmine rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
206 calories; 4 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 715 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until caramelized, toasted and darkened, about 2 minutes. Add the bagoong and cook, stirring, until superfragrant and aromatic, about 2 minutes.
Step
2
Add the tomatoes and stir to deglaze, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, squash, salt and 2 cups water and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften and liquid reduces slightly and becomes glossy, about 10 minutes.
Step
3
Add the okra, long beans, eggplants and bittermelon, and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash and other vegetables are soft but retain some bite, and long beans are floppy, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step
4
Serve hot over rice, or set it on a buffet, where it’s equally good served at room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
99
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Polly
Ah, bitter melon! Food of the Gods...
JM
You can get it on Amazon!
Filipina without an Asian grocery nearby
That's unusual--please report back if you try it! I would include fish sauce (patis, nam plaa) to put the flavor in the right direction. Or try instead of miso, Chinese fermented black beans. None of this is pinakbet anymore, but I think Filipinos are known for being adaptable and open to innovation. I usually go opposite--making Pinoy food pescatarian by amping bagoong (shrimp paste) patis, etc, so I can omit pork.
E.
For non-shrimp-eaters, would it be possible to substitute miso for the fermented shrimp paste? Or something else?
JST
Really yummy, even my skeptical husband and kids loved it. My only note is that it required a bit longer cooking time than specified to soften the okra and long beans.
sugar in your adobo
The addition of tomato paste is a novel idea. After all these years of making this dish at home and trying all sorts of vegetable combinations, I think I will try it!
Ilocano hijo
Must try! Not only will it create a more complex flavour, but it will also make the dish look brighter. Nobody likes grey eggplants.
Cassie H
If this is your first time using fermented shrimp paste, I’d use less than recommended - we were overwhelmed with the fishiness of the dish
Steve Muni
This recipe is for a vegetarian pinakbet. I add about a pound of pork shoulder cut into small cube, that I sauté early on. If you can’t get or don’t like bitter melon, (which can be really bitter), use the same amount of large zucchini instead. Finally, at the end, check for saltiness (this dish is pretty salty) and if it needs more, add some fish sauce (Filipino patis or whatever you have), until it gets to your liking.
Dilip
Have fond memories of this fish from my visits to Manila! Did not have bagoong, but happened to have eggplant, okra and bitter melon all at the same time (what are the chances?), so had a go with miso instead. It worked really well (but of course not authentic!). Added a mild red chilli without seeds for some punch and some tamarind paste for more sourness - it was a hit with the Missus!
Miriam
This was one of the favorite dishes of my late husband. He always started with a pork base, and when it was being served, added something that most folks here would not eat: fried pork rinds. I will try this dish in his memory, but can anyone suggest a substitute for kabocha squash? I have never heard of it.
PGH
This is really good, and I’m one Filipino American who is not usually a fan of Pinakbet. I enjoyed this! I used toasted shrimp paste and it was fine. I agree that it takes a little more time than listed to get the long beans to be “floppy.”
Cassie H
If this is your first time using fermented shrimp paste, I’d use less than recommended - we were overwhelmed with the fishiness of the dish
JST
Really yummy, even my skeptical husband and kids loved it. My only note is that it required a bit longer cooking time than specified to soften the okra and long beans.
sugar in your adobo
The addition of tomato paste is a novel idea. After all these years of making this dish at home and trying all sorts of vegetable combinations, I think I will try it!
Ilocano hijo
Must try! Not only will it create a more complex flavour, but it will also make the dish look brighter. Nobody likes grey eggplants.
E.
For non-shrimp-eaters, would it be possible to substitute miso for the fermented shrimp paste? Or something else?
Filipina without an Asian grocery nearby
That's unusual--please report back if you try it! I would include fish sauce (patis, nam plaa) to put the flavor in the right direction. Or try instead of miso, Chinese fermented black beans. None of this is pinakbet anymore, but I think Filipinos are known for being adaptable and open to innovation. I usually go opposite--making Pinoy food pescatarian by amping bagoong (shrimp paste) patis, etc, so I can omit pork.
Harriet
I am pursuing these Filipino recipes and wish there were sources for ingredients such as bagoong here (especially the pink kind) and coconut vinegar elsewhere. This has often been a problem with the ten essential recipes columns.
JM
You can get it on Amazon!
Polly
Ah, bitter melon! Food of the Gods...
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