Pinakbet ( No Squash )
In the Philippines, a staple dish is pinakbet. This vegetable stew is popular in the Ilokano region, where it is typically cooked until almost dry. The dish is enhanced by shrimp paste and other meats. Like its Provençal cousin, ratatouille, it also has a similar flavor but without the sauce. In the Pinakbet Recipe, you can substitute the shrimp paste with patis, fish sauce, and tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 5-7 cloves Garlic crushed and chopped
- 1 whole Onions chopped
- 2 pcs Tomatoes quartered
- 200 g Okra Ladyfingers, cut
- 200 g Green beans cut
- 1-2 pcs Eggplant cut
- Spanish mackerel fillet tanigue
- 1-2 tbsp Fish paste Bagoong Balayan
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil
- ⅓ cup Water
Instructions
- Marinate the Spanish Mackerel fillet with salt and pepper.
- Fry in a pan under medium heat. 4 minutes per side.
- Cut the fillet into 4.
- Set aside.
- Pour oil on the same pan under medium heat.
- Saute the garlic until it turns golden.
- Add in the tomatoes. Stir continuously to avoid burning.
- Add in the onions. Stir until sweaty and wilted.
- Season the dish with 1tbsp bagoong balayan (fish paste). Stir well.
- Add in the eggplant, ladyfingers and beans. Stir well.
- Add the water. Cover the dish.
- Simmer for 2 minutes or until the dish starts to boil.
- Season the dish with up to 1 tbsp bagoong balayan and pepper according to liking.
- Add the fish.
- Gently stir to avoid breaking the fish.
- Turn off the heat.
- Serve with hot steamy rice.
Video
Notes
Adding the fish in the dish itself, rather than serving the 2 separately, makes it tastier. They complement each other because of their obvious and common flavours. The bagoong balayan will bring out the best of the mackerel. Yuummm!