Pinakbet or Pakbet

Pinakbet or pakbet is a popular Ilokano dish, from the northern regions of the Philippines, although it has become popular throughout the archipelago. The word is the contracted form of the Ilokano word pinakebbet, meaning "shrunk" or "shriveled". The original Ilokano pinakbet uses bagoong, of fermented monamon or other fish, while further south, bagoong alamang is used. Well my Dad is Ilokano so this dish is on our table most of the times. In this dish, we used bagoong isda.

 

The vegetable dish pinakbet is more than a regional cuisine. It is an enduring symbol of the Ilokano palate and a lucid display of the Ilokanos’ history of contestations and struggles with the physical and social environment. The recipe weaves intimations of the cultural productions of the Ilokanos' transaction to their arid and less productive land.

Ingredients:

      1/4 kilo pork with fat, cut into small pieces
      2 Amapalya (bitter melons) sliced to bite size pieces
      2 eggplants, sliced to bite size pieces
      5 pieces of okra, cut in two
      1 head garlic, minced
      2 onions, diced
      5 tomatoes, sliced
      1 tablespoon of ginger, crushed and sliced
      4 tablespoons bagoong isda or bagoong alamang
      3 tablespoons of oil
      1 1/2 cup water
      Salt and pepper to taste
      1 sachet of Magic Sarap

Instructions:

1. In a cooking pan, heat oil and fry the pork until brown, remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
2. On the same pan, saute garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes.
3. In a casserole, boil water and add bagoong.
4. Add the pork in the casserole and mix in the sautéed garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add in all the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are done, careful not to overcook.
6. Best if you put Magic sarap, Salt and pepper to taste.

Estimated cooking time: 35 minutes