Filipino Pinakbet-Style Baked Vegetables (Sweet Heat)

About This Recipe

Pinakbet is a defining Ilocano vegetable dish, traditionally a mix of native vegetables -- bitter melon, eggplant, okra, string beans, squash -- cooked down with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) until everything is tender and infused with its salty depth. This baked adaptation takes the same vegetable mix and shrimp paste base but finishes it in the oven, letting the vegetables caramelize slightly at the edges with a touch of chili and sweetness balancing the savory bagoong. The technique hinges on layering and timing: harder vegetables like squash go in first since they take longest to soften, while more delicate ones like string beans and eggplant are added partway through so nothing turns to mush by the time everything's done. The bagoong is diluted and mixed with a little sugar and chili before going in, since it's intensely salty and needs balancing rather than being added straight. Served with rice, this is authentic everyday Ilocano cooking, valued for turning humble vegetables into something deeply savory through the shrimp paste's umami.

Ingredients

Serves 5

• 200 gkabocha squash(cubed)
• 1eggplant(sliced)
• 150 gstring beans(cut into 2-inch pieces)
• 100 gokra
• 1bitter melon(seeded and sliced, optional)
• 2 tbspbagoong (shrimp paste)
• 2tomatoes(chopped)
• 1onion(sliced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspsugar
• 1red chili(sliced)
• 100 gpork belly(sliced thin, optional)
• 3 tbspoil
• 0.5 cupwater

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven

   Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

2. 2

   Saute the base

   Heat oil in an oven-safe pan or skillet, saute garlic, onion, and pork belly if using until fragrant and lightly browned, 4-5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add tomatoes and bagoong

   Stir in tomatoes and bagoong diluted with a splash of water, plus sugar and chili. Cook 3-4 minutes until tomatoes soften.

4. 4

   Layer the sturdy vegetables

   Add squash and water, cover, and simmer on the stove 8 minutes to start softening.

5. 5

   Add remaining vegetables

   Stir in eggplant, string beans, okra, and bitter melon if using.

6. 6

   Bake

   Transfer the pan to the oven, uncovered, and bake 15-18 minutes until vegetables are tender and slightly caramelized at the edges.

Variations

• •

  Make it vegetarian by using soy sauce instead of bagoong and skipping the pork.

• •

  Add shrimp instead of pork belly for a more traditional coastal version.

• •

  Skip the baking step and simmer everything on the stovetop, covered, until tender.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days; the flavors deepen as it sits. Reheat gently on the stove or in the oven, adding a splash of water if it's dried out.

Frequently Asked Questions