Sauteed Vegetables with Shrimp Paste - Pinakbet

 Pinakbet

As of late, I had this craving for vegetables and shrimp paste (bagoong). When my mom arrived from Chicago, luckily she brought home vegetables as if she had read my mind. So it is definitely a must go signal to cook ahead.We used to cook this back in the Philippines, and finding some of the ingredients requires me to go to the Asian Store downtown. By the way, I have read that this is similar to the French ratatouille.

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb chicken breast, sliced into cubes (thickness varies, but I cut mine into 1 in)
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 Cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Ripe Tomato, cubed
1/2 Cup shrimped paste (available in oriental stores)
1/2 cup water
2 Medium eggplants, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 bundle of okra (or about 10 ounce of frozen ones)
2 Cups string beans, cut in about 2 inches long
salt and pepper to taste

VARIATION:

You can also add bitter melon (Ampalaya - which I don't have at that moment), and substitute chicken with pork, and squash, which is originally not included in this dish but I use it so my son can have something in case he doesn't buy all the other vegetables.

DIRECTIONS:

Saute garlic and onion in oil until onion is transparent. Add pork and stir for about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp paste and stir. Add water. Bring it to boil then add the eggplant,and okra. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Bon Appetit!