MY FAVORITE GULAY ( VEGETABLE ) RECIPE

Pinakbet Tagalog

Pinakbet Tagalog is a Filipino vegetable dish. It is composed of a variety of vegetables and it also has a protein component. I made use of lechon kawali or crispy deep-fried pork belly for this recipe. This recipe is a variation of the popular Pinakbet Ilocano.

Pinakbet or Pakbet is a Filipino vegetable dish that is flavorful as it is colorful. A medley of local vegetables like squash, eggplant, okra, yard-long beans, and bitter melon. Pork, shrimp paste, and tomatoes are used to give it its distinctive taste.

Why has Pinakbet become so popular?

You might be able to notice from our list of ingredients, as well as from the dish’s general background, just how unapologetically Filipino Pinakbet is. It has just the right mix of spices and seasonings, as well as vegetables, to tailor perfectly for Filipinos’ taste. But more than that, it also represents much of the Ilocos region and the country’s culture.

Pinakbet Tagalog Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb lechon kawali sliced

▢1 piece Knorr Shrimp Cube

▢12 pieces sitaw cut into 2 inch length

▢1/2 piece kalabasa cubed

▢12 pieces okra

▢1 piece Chinese eggplant sliced

▢1 piece ampalaya sliced

▢1 piece kamote cubed (optional)

▢2 pieces tomato cubed

▢2 thumbs ginger crushed (optional)

▢1 piece onion chopped

▢4 cloves garlic crushed

▢2 teaspoons bagoong alamang

▢2 ½ cups water

▢3 tablespoons cooking oiL

▢¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat cooking oil in a pot. Saute onion and garlic. Add ginger and continue to cook until the onion softens.

Add lechon kawali. Saute for 1 minute.

Pour water. Let boil.

Add Knorr Shrimp Cube. Cover the pot and cook in medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add tomato and bagoong alamang. Stir. Cover the pot. Cook for 3 minutes.

Put the kalabasa and kamote into the pot. Cook for 7 minutes.

Add sitaw, okra, ampalaya, and eggplant. Stir. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes.

Season with ground black pepper and add remaining lechon kawali. Cook for minutes.

Tranfer to a serving plate. Serve. Share and Enjoy!

Adobong Sitaw

Adobong Sitaw is a vegetable dish composed of string beans cooked adobo style. As you might have noticed, almost all ingredients can be cooked using the famous adobo style – be it meat or vegetables. Chicken Adobo, Pork Adobo, Adobong Kambing, and Adobong Pusit are just few of the adobo dishes that we have featured –

I like this healthy vegetable recipe not just by its nutritional value, making adobo out of string beans brings out this vegetable’s natural flavor which is often over powered by other vegetables and ingredients in dishes such as Pakbet Tagalog, Pakbet Ilocano, Kare Kare, and Sinigang.

Adobong Sitaw Recipe

Ingredients

▢1 lb string beans sitaw, cut in 2 inch length

▢1/4 lb pork belly thinly sliced (optional)

▢1/2 cup soy sauce

▢1/3 cup vinegar

▢1 piece onion thinly sliced lengthwise

▢4 to 6 cloves garlic crushed

▢1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

▢1 cup water

Instructions

Heat a frying pan or wok then sear the pork.

When oil and juice comes out of the pork, add garlic and onions then cook for 2 minutes.

Pour-in the soy sauce, vinegar, and water then bring to a boil.

Shake-in the ground black pepper and stir.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the pork is tender.

Add the string beans and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Share and enjoy!

Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw with Crab

There are many variations of ginataang kalabasa at sitaw, but my favorite includes blue crabs (alimasag), as their flavor blends well.

Ingredients for Ginataang Kalabasa

The name of our dish does not list all the complete ingredients! Yes, we have kalabasa, sitaw, gata, and crabs, but we still need more to make this extra delicious. Scroll down for a complete list.

4 lbs fresh blue crabs (alimasag) – Blue crabs are the best crabs for this dish! Select the gender of your alimasag or crabs depending on your preference for the dish. Female crabs typically have more aligue, while male crabs tend to have more meat.

1 lb squash (calabaza), sliced into cubes – Brings a mild sweetness and creamy texture when cooked. It also adds color.

1 bunch string beans or sitaw (about 3 to 4 cups), cut into 2.5-inch lengths – Add crunch and freshness. They provide a nice contrast to the soft vegetables and crabs.

3 1/2 cups coconut milk – Essential for the creamy base of the dish. It adds a rich flavor and helps blend all the ingredients.

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce – Adds a salty, umami flavor. It enhances the taste of the other ingredients.

1 teaspoon ground black pepper – Without it, the flavors would be more one-dimensional because ground pepper adds a subtle heat.

1 medium onion, sliced – Gives sweetness and aroma when sautéed.

2 teaspoons garlic, minced – Adds a strong flavor and fragrance. It enhances the overall taste of the dish.

2 tablespoons cooking oil – Used to sauté the ingredients. It helps to release flavors and prevent sticking.

Variations Of Ginataang Kalabasa At Sitaw

Aside from our recipe, which uses alimasag (crabs), there are also variations of meat you can include in this dish! You can try ginataang kalabasa at sitaw with pork (such as with lechon kawali), with chicken, or with shrimp (hipon).

Ingredients

▢4 lbs crab alimasag

▢1 lb calabaza squash sliced into cubes

▢1 bunch string beans cut into 2.5 inch length

▢3 1/2 cups coconut milk

▢1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

▢1 teaspoon ground black pepper

▢1 onion chopped

▢2 teaspoons garlic minced

▢2 tablespoons cooking oil

Instructions

Heat a cooking pot and pour cooking oil.

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Saute garlic and onion

2 teaspoons garlic, 1 onion Add fish sauce and coconut milk, and then let boil.

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 1/2 cups coconut milk

Put-in the ground black pepper, and then cook for 10 minutes in medium heat until the liquid reduces. 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Put-in the crabs and stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. 4 lbs crab

Add the squash (kalabasa). Stir. Cover the pot and then continue cooking for 6 minutes. Note: you can add water if the liquid reduces quickly as expected.

1 lb calabaza squash

Add the string beans, stir, and then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the squash becomes soft enough.

1 bunch string beans

Turn the heat off and transfer to a serving plate.

Serve with hot steamed rice

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Share and enjoy!

Easy Utan Bisaya (Law-Uy)

For locals of the Visayas or those with Visayan origins, Easy Utan Bisaya (or Law-Uy) is a vegetable soup made with the freshest of vegetables boiled in water. It is similar to another popular vegetable soup, bulanglang.

The Utan Bisaya we’re making today is the simplest version that I made. While you can choose to add any meat or fish at all, this recipe does not call for any. But me personally i love adding fish.

Preparing to Cook Easy Utan Bisaya

Making Utan Bisaya is really quite simple. If making the original iteration of this dish is already easy enough, this is even easier.

The most important step to preparing your Utan Bisaya is chopping all your vegetables –– and there are a lot of them! The vegetables of Utan Bisaya include: eggplant, okra, ginger, lemongrass, spinach, squash, and string beans!

Here is what you’ll have to do before cooking:

Slice a piece of eggplant (talong)

Crush 2 thumbs of ginger (luya)

Slice the okra

Crush and tie the lemongrass (tanglad) into knots.

Cube 2 cups of squash (kalabasa)

Cut 1 ½ cups of string beans, with each piece at about 2 inches

Ingredients

▢3/4 lb squash

▢2 pieces taro

▢4 thumbs ginger

▢2 stalks lemongrass

▢1 piece Chinese eggplant sliced

▢10 pieces string beans cut in 2 inch pieces

▢12 pieces okra

▢2 cups spinach

▢3 1/2 cups water

▢Salt and ground black pepper to taste

I prefer to add fish it adds more flavor to it.

Boil water in a cooking pot. Add lemongrass and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add taro and squash. Cover and continue boiling for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove lemongrass from the pot. Add okra, string beans, and eggplant. Stir. Cover and continue cooking for 7 minutes.

Add the fried fish(I love it when its fried)

Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

Add spinach. Cook for 2 minutes.

Season with salt and ground black pepper.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve.

Share and enjoy!