I don’t know if you will agree with me, but most of the kids find it hard to swallow vegetables. Yes, just like me when I was kid. I am very picky on what kind will I allow to reach my tummy. What I hated most is ampalaya (bittermelon). For obvious reason that it is bitter and I don’t like it’s look. I know it is nutritious and there’s a way to cook it so the bitter taste will be masked. But still I don’t like it. 

This is the reason why my recipe of Pinakbet (Pakbet) does not have ampalaya. This dish is made of different vegetables and sautéed in shrimp paste. It is also a popular Ilokano dish. In our house, we often served this food with fried fish, sliced tomato and extra shrimp paste. 

I like my pinakbet simple and with more butternut squash. Here’s my version of Pinakbet, hope you like it.




Ingredients:
  • 300g shrimp (boiled and peeled)
  • 3 tbsp of cooking oil (vegetable or sunflower oil)
  • 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 medium size onion (chopped)
  • 1 tomato (chopped)
  • 2 eggplants (cut into pieces)
  • 3 cups butternut squash (diced) ( you can reduce the amount if you like)
  • 200g green beans/string beans (cut into 2 inches long)
  • 2 tbsp shrimp paste
  • 1 1/2 cups of water
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
  1. Boil the shrimps, peel them and set aside. 
  2. In a big pan or wok, heat the oil.  
  3. Sauté garlic, onion and tomato. It takes about 3-4 minutes until onions turned translucent and tomatoes become limp. 
  4. Stir in the shrimp paste.
  5. Add the green beans and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
  6. Add the butternut squash and eggplant along with 1 cup of water. Let it simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
  7. Stir in the shrimps and add the remaining water if the vegetables are not yet tender and the sauce is drying up. 
  8. Season it with salt and pepper depending on your taste. 
  9. Serve with boiled rice and fried fish.

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