Filipino mixed vegetables baked with shrimp paste, tomato, and a touch of chili heat and sweetness.
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.
Serves 5
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
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.
Stir in tomatoes and bagoong diluted with a splash of water, plus sugar and chili. Cook 3-4 minutes until tomatoes soften.
Add squash and water, cover, and simmer on the stove 8 minutes to start softening.
Stir in eggplant, string beans, okra, and bitter melon if using.
Transfer the pan to the oven, uncovered, and bake 15-18 minutes until vegetables are tender and slightly caramelized at the edges.
Dilute the bagoong with a little water before adding -- straight paste is too salty and won't distribute evenly.
Add vegetables in stages by how long they take to cook, starting with squash and ending with more delicate ones like okra.
Use an oven-safe skillet so you can go straight from stovetop to oven without transferring the vegetables and risking breaking them apart.
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.
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.
Pinakbet is a cornerstone of Ilocano cuisine from northern Luzon, historically built around locally grown vegetables and fermented shrimp paste, prized as a way to preserve and use seasonal harvests.
Fish sauce is a reasonable substitute for saltiness, though it lacks bagoong's distinctive fermented depth -- use about half as much and adjust to taste.
Yes, it's traditional but optional if you're not a fan of its bitterness; the dish works fine without it.
They were likely added too early or cooked too long -- add delicate vegetables like okra and eggplant later in the cooking process.
Per serving (287g / 10.1 oz) · 5 servings total
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