Pinakbet is a Filipino dish native to the northern regions or Ilocos. It is made with a medley of vegetables and seasoned with fish sauce.
Rice is a staple in the Philippines. What goes well with rice? Pinakbet goes well with rice. Funnily enough, pinakbet has become a staple in Filipino households beyond the Ilocos region. So, two staples in one go, I say yes, please. There might be more than 7,100 versions of this simple but satisfying dish that everyone is proud of and cannot be compared to the next. This also means that pinakbet vary from region to region but if you want the Ilocano version which is salty and bitter which are the characteristics of Ilocano pinakbet then you must give this recipe a try.
The pinakbet that I know of is my Mum’s recipe. My Mum is Ilocano and she is proud of this dish. I adopted her way of cooking pinakbet where she would put all the vegetables together in a traditional clay pot, pour bagoong or fermented fish and then just a splash of water. Onto the fire and cook until all the vegetables have shrunk or shrivelled. Yes, you read it right, that no protein in her pinakbet. Protein like fish or meat would be served on the side. I never asked why but pinakbet to my Ilocano Mum did not involve oil or protein. However, I used pork scratchings for this recipe to add umami which I could not achieve by only using fish sauce.
This is an easy version of pinakbet. Traditionally, fermented fish or bagoong is used where a small amount of water is used to dilute the fermented fish which will be poured into the prepared vegetables. The bagoong available in shops where I am are bottled and most are fried which is not I am looking for so, I have decided to only use fish sauce and tried to pair it with salt or soy sauce to resemble my mother’s pinakbet flavor profile. In the end, the combination of fish sauce and pork scratchings is what worked. Have you tried the fried fermented fish with your pinakbet? Leave a comment in the comment section if you have and tell us what you think about it.
Ingredients needed
Small onion – shallots are more commonly used but for ease and availability use onion
Ginger – a knob of crushed ginger is the Ilocano way so add this and it will give the dish a refreshing flavor
Tomato – use any tomatoes on hand
Eggplant/aubergine – small (ish) eggplants or aubergine is preferred, Chinese, and Thai eggplants
Beans – string/yard-long beans, French beans
Okra/lady’s fingers – no substitutes here but if not available leave out and add more of the other vegetables
Pork scratchings – adds umami to the dish, use grilled or fried protein like fish or pork too
Fish sauce – use fermented fish if available for a more authentic flavor but fish sauce is fine, give it a taste to find your flavor profile
Splash of water – just a splash because pinakbet is not meant to be soupy
How to make pinakbet?
Prepare all vegetables by cutting them to desired sizes.
Think of cooking pinakbet as you put the vegetables in the pot according to how long they will take to soften. Add all the aromatics to the bottom of the pot followed by tomato, eggplants, beans and okra. Throw in the pork scratchings, this is already cooked but we want the flavoring it will impart to the dish.
Pour the fish sauce and the splash of water. The other key thing in pinakbet is not to disturb it while cooking. So, put the lid on, put the heat on to medium-high and then let it reach a boil. Turn the heat on low and gently simmer until the vegetables are cooked and shrivelled for around 10 minutes.
Check the vegetables for doneness, and taste to be sure the seasoning is right, it should be salty and turn the heat off. Serve with a bowl of rice.
What is best paired with pinakbet?
Personal preference comes in here, some would like bagnet, others would go for fried or grilled fish which I like.
What is the other name for pinakbet?
Pinakbet is also called pakbet. Both are contractions of the word pinakebbet which means cooked until shrunk or shrivelled.
How long does pinakbet last in the fridge?
It lasts for 3 days in the fridge.
What is the difference between dinengdeng and pinakbet?
Dinengdeng and pinakbet use similar vegetables. The difference between the two dishes is dinengdeng is soupier than pinakbet.
Storage
Let the dish cool completely and store in an air-tight container to keep in the fridge for 3 days.
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ILOCANO PINAKBET
Equipment
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 inch knob ginger crushed
- 1 tomato sliced
- 100 grams eggplant
- 100 grams beans
- 75 grams okra
- 25 grams pork scratchings
- 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
- splash water
Instructions
- Add all the aromatics, onion and ginger to the pot.
- Add the vegetables according to how long they will take to soften, in this recipe add the eggplants, beans and okra.
- Put in the pork scratchings.
- Pour the fish sauce and the splash of water.
- Put the lid on, put the heat on to medium-high and then let it reach a boil.
- Turn the heat on low and gently simmer until the vegetables are cooked and shrivelled for around 10 minutes.
- Check the vegetables for doneness, and taste to be sure the seasoning is right, it should be salty and turn the heat off.
- Serve with a bowl of rice.
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