Pinakbet
Dive into the vibrant world of Pinakbet, a delightful Filipino stew bursting with fresh vegetables like eggplant, squash, and bitter melon. For an extra layer of flavor, consider adding savory pork belly that melts in your mouth, enhancing the dish's rich, umami goodness. This hearty medley is not just a meal—it's a celebration of farm-fresh ingredients and simple cooking techniques that will warm your heart and fill your belly!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- butternut squash, cut up
- eggplant, cut up
- minced garlic
- sliced onions
- tomato, chopped
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- pork belly, optionaloptional
- tablespoons of bakaong or Filipino shrimp paste
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- green beans, cut up
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- black pepper
📦Other(2)
- bitter melon, cut up
- okra, cut up
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Prep all the vegetables by cutting up the bitter melon, eggplant, okra, green beans, butternut squash, and a tomato.
- 2
In a wok or large pan, fry the pork belly until it renders out some of its fat.
- 3
Add minced garlic, sliced onions, black pepper, and chopped tomatoes to the pan.
- 4
Stir in tablespoons of bakaong or Filipino shrimp paste for umami flavor.
- 5
Stagger the addition of ingredients to prevent the veggies from becoming overly soggy or undercooked.
- 6
Season to taste and adjust according to preference.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Salt the sliced bitter melon (ampalaya) with 1 tablespoon of salt and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing, since osmosis draws out the momordicin compounds responsible for excessive bitterness.ingredient10-15 minutes
- ✓Render the pork belly slowly over medium heat (around 300°F) for 8-10 minutes until the fat cap turns translucent and golden, because this renders out enough fat to sauté the aromatics without added oil while crisping the meat via Maillard reaction.technique300°F, 8-10 minutes
- ✓Add vegetables in order of density and cook time—squash first (5-6 min), then eggplant and green beans (3-4 min), and finally okra and bitter melon last (2 min)—so each component reaches proper tenderness without turning mushy or releasing excess mucilage.timingstaggered 2-6 minutes per vegetable
- ✓Stir in the bagoong (shrimp paste) early with the aromatics rather than at the end, so its glutamates and salt have 3-4 minutes to meld into the fat and develop umami depth before vegetables are added.technique3-4 minutes
- ✓Avoid stirring the vegetables too frequently once added—toss only 2-3 times total during cooking—since excessive agitation ruptures cell walls in squash and eggplant, releasing starches and water that make the dish watery instead of lightly glazed.technique2-3 tosses
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Pinakbet
Dive into the vibrant world of Pinakbet, a delightful Filipino stew bursting with fresh vegetables like eggplant, squash, and bitter melon. For an extra layer of flavor, consider adding savory pork belly that melts in your mouth, enhancing the dish's rich, umami goodness. This hearty medley is not just a meal—it's a celebration of farm-fresh ingredients and simple cooking techniques that will warm your heart and fill your belly!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- butternut squash, cut up
- eggplant, cut up
- minced garlic
- sliced onions
- tomato, chopped
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- pork belly, optionaloptional
- tablespoons of bakaong or Filipino shrimp paste
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- green beans, cut up
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- black pepper
📦Other(2)
- bitter melon, cut up
- okra, cut up
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Prep all the vegetables by cutting up the bitter melon, eggplant, okra, green beans, butternut squash, and a tomato.
- 2
In a wok or large pan, fry the pork belly until it renders out some of its fat.
- 3
Add minced garlic, sliced onions, black pepper, and chopped tomatoes to the pan.
- 4
Stir in tablespoons of bakaong or Filipino shrimp paste for umami flavor.
- 5
Stagger the addition of ingredients to prevent the veggies from becoming overly soggy or undercooked.
- 6
Season to taste and adjust according to preference.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Salt the sliced bitter melon (ampalaya) with 1 tablespoon of salt and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing, since osmosis draws out the momordicin compounds responsible for excessive bitterness.ingredient10-15 minutes
- ✓Render the pork belly slowly over medium heat (around 300°F) for 8-10 minutes until the fat cap turns translucent and golden, because this renders out enough fat to sauté the aromatics without added oil while crisping the meat via Maillard reaction.technique300°F, 8-10 minutes
- ✓Add vegetables in order of density and cook time—squash first (5-6 min), then eggplant and green beans (3-4 min), and finally okra and bitter melon last (2 min)—so each component reaches proper tenderness without turning mushy or releasing excess mucilage.timingstaggered 2-6 minutes per vegetable
- ✓Stir in the bagoong (shrimp paste) early with the aromatics rather than at the end, so its glutamates and salt have 3-4 minutes to meld into the fat and develop umami depth before vegetables are added.technique3-4 minutes
- ✓Avoid stirring the vegetables too frequently once added—toss only 2-3 times total during cooking—since excessive agitation ruptures cell walls in squash and eggplant, releasing starches and water that make the dish watery instead of lightly glazed.technique2-3 tosses