Mom's Pacbet or Pinakbet

Another best-seller at home is Mama's pinakbet. We're always going for second, or even the third helping--as long as there's still rice in the 'caldero' (iron-cast cooking pot).

Originally an Ilocano meal, the dish gots its mane from the Ilocano word "pinakebbet", meaning shrunk or shrivelled. Adding chicharon or leftover lechon is another option.

Here's her recipe and a modified version of it, which I learned from  Netnet, our trusted companion at home.

Pakbet or Pinakbet (Pinacbet) Recipe
Serves: 5-7 persons
Estimated Cooking Time: 25-35 minutes

What you'll need:

•     1/4 kilo pork with fat, cut into small pieces
•     2 ampalaya (bitter melons) sliced to bite size pieces
•     2 eggplants, sliced to bite size pieces
•     5 pieces of okra, cut in bite size pieces
•     1 head garlic, minced
•     2 onions, diced
•     5 tomatoes, sliced
•     2 tablespoons bagoong isda or bagoong alamang
•     3 tablespoons of oil
•     4 tablespoons of soy sauce
•     1 1/2 cup water
•     Salt and pepper to taste

How it's done:

  *This is the fast-paced version of Pinakbet.

1. Sauté the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add the pork and the bagoong.

3. Place the stringbeans, ampalaya and the squash. Then add 1 1/2 cup of water.

4. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Put in the rest of the vegetables

5. Cook until vegetables are tender, but not overcooked.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

  If my Mom were cooking, she would:

1. Fry the pork in its own oil. (She has something against excessively oily food).Set aside.

2. Then in a separate saucepan,  sauté the garlic, onion, and tomatoes.

3. Add 1 1/2 cup water and  bagoong. 

3. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.