Pinakbet: A Vegetable Dish With A Distinct Taste

Pinakbet is a very tasty dish. It’s safe to say that this dish is a complete meal. Thanks to the one ingredient that gives it a distinct taste, pinkabet is in a league of its own.

What Does Pinakbet Taste Like?

There’s something about pinakbet that makes it different from other local vegetable dishes. Despite its simplicity, pinakbet stands out.

No, pinakbet is not made with coconut milk. It’s also very different from chopsuey because of its distinct taste. It’s a bit on the salty side because of the one ingredient that makes this dish distinct. 😃

A Typical Pinakbet Recipe

A typical pinakbet recipe consists of the vegetables that are usually grown in the backyards of the provinces of the Philippines.

In other words, the vegetables that go into the pinakbet dish are the very common ones. So, even if you live in the city, this particular dish is still pretty easy to make.

In other words, the vegetables that go into the pinakbet dish are the very common ones. So, even if you live in the city, this particular dish is still pretty easy to make.

The typical pinakbet recipe consists of one ingredient that makes it very tasty. That one ingredient is bagoong isda, which I often use as a substitute for anchovies.

Some folks use the other kind of bagoong, otherwise known as shrimp paste.

Related Read: ARCOS Special Bagoong: Ginisang Bagoong Alamang At Its Finest

Bagoong isda is quite smelly especially when it’s being cooked but when you get a taste of it, you’ll love it. ❤️

What Are The Ingredients For Pinakbet?

Since pinakbet is a very simple dish, you’ll find that the ingredients are very easy to find. Bagoong isda is very easy to find. If you live abroad, you can get in any Asian store.

The other ingredients are the following:

• Kalabasa or squash
• Ampalaya or bitter gourd
• Okra
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Onion
• Water

You can also add some pieces of pork. The Ilocano version calls for some bagnet but if that’s too tedious for you to make, skip it.

In our case, we paired our pinkabet with some broiled pork leg.

Here’s How To Cook Pinakbet

The steps to cooking pinakbet are very simple. First, saute the pork pieces with onions and garlic. You can fry the pork pieces if you like but we usually just saute it. Then add some water, enough to cover the pork pieces, and make some sauce.

Let it simmer and then slowly add in the vegetables. There’s no need for any other seasoning. 😀

All you need is the bagoong isda to season it. Bagoong isda is what gives pinakbet a distinct taste.

How about you? How do you cook pinakbet? What do you eat it with? Feel free to share some of your thoughts with us. We would love to hear them.