Pinakbet

Pinakbet is a vegetable medley cooked in bagoong or shrimp paste. While it originally hails from the Ilocos region, a lot of other regions have their own versions of it.

Ingredients

• 3 medium-sized eggplants, sliced lengthwise then cut into 1-inch segments
  
• 1 medium-sized ampalaya (bittermelon), sliced lengthwise, seeded, then cut into thin slices
  
• 1 large tomato, diced
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 3 tablespoons bagoong or shrimp paste
  
• 1 cup pork, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 cup hugas bigas (water drained from washing rice) or water
  
• Patis (fish sauce)
  

1. Saute garlic, onion, tomato, bagoong and pork.
   
2. Let simmer until pork is tender.
   
3. Add eggplant and ampalaya, then cover with hugas bigas.
   
4. Simmer until veggies are done.
   
5. If necessary, season with patis.