Pinakbet with Crispy Lechon Recipe

Perfect for Sunday lunch with the family, this dish combines two Pinoy faves: pinakbet and lechon kawali!

My regular pinakbet calls for shrimp paste (alamang) but I wanted a lighter broth to compliment the crispy lechon kawali in this version so I substituted fish sauce instead. Alright, alright, I admit. I am a liar, liar with pants on fire. I didn’t have any shrimp paste so I used patis which, for some reason, I have four bottles of in the pantry. #storyofmylife. I have to say, the fish sauce worked pretty well with the overall flavor of this colorful veggie dish but if you are better at shopping than me and actually have shrimp paste in the house, replace the amount of fish sauce called for in the recipe with 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste. Saute it with the aromatics for about 3 to 5 minutes before adding water. That’s it, folks. Have a wonderful weekend ahead and please make sure to check in regularly at Kawaling Pinoy for more deliciousness to come. I appreciate you.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups lechon kawali, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ small kabocha (calabasa) peeled and cut into pieces
• 1 large eggplant, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch thick
• 6 to 8 okra, ends trimmed
• 1 bitter melon, seeded, halved and cut into 1-inch thick
• ½ bunch long beans, ends trimmed and cut into into 3-inch lengths
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1-1/2 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until limp and aromatic. Add tomatoes and cook, mashing with back of spoon, for about 5 minutes or until softened and have released juice. Add fish sauce and continue to cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add water and bring to a boil.
3. Add squash and cook for about 2 minutes. Add okra, long beans, bitter melon and eggplant. Continue to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender yet crisp. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add lechon kawali and gently toss until just heated through. Serve hot.

Notes

Cook and Prep times are with the assumption that you have lechon kawali cooked and ready.