Pinakbet is a nutritious and hearty Filipino vegetable stew. This is perfect with a side of grilled meats or simply on its own as a main entree!

(Note that while Pinakbet does have variations in the Philippines, especially in the original recipe from the Northern Ilocos region, today we are just going over the Pinakbet Tagalog version)

Pinakbet is one of those dishes that make veggies the star of the meal. I always had a deep dislike for pinakbet as a kid because of its addition of bitter melon, but I didn’t have the heart to tell my parents that after they’d cook a huge pot worth of this stuff!

Like with most foods, I grew to appreciate the dish mainly because of its ability to showcase the wide variety of vegetables you can put together to make something tasty. My parents always paired pinakbet with some kind of grilled meat or fried fish to compliment its savory and umami flavors.

What is pinakbet?

Pinakbet or Pakbet is a Filipino vegetable stew, originating in the Northern Ilocos region of the Philippines.

The dish was named after the Ilocano word “pinakebbet” which meant “shrivelled” or “dwindled”, in reference to the cooking process causing the vegetables to shrink or reduce in size.

The main seasoning of pinakbet is bagoong, which is a salty and umami Filipino fermented seafood paste. Originally, the Ilocano version used bagoong isda, or fermented fish; though as the dish spread and became more popular across the country, the Tagalog version emerged by which bagoong alamang was used in substitute (fermented shrimp and krill).

Vegetables in pinakbet are composed of most of the indigenous produce you’d typically find in the Northern Ilocos region. Veggies like okra, tomatoes, bitter melon, and eggplant make up much of this dish that helped showcase their unique and distinct flavors.

Instructions for pinakbet

In a large pan or wok, add in your pork belly. Let the pork cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned and its fats begin to render.

*If omitting the pork; skip this step and substitute with 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil.

Lower the heat to medium and add in the onions, garlic, and black pepper. Stir and cook until fragrant and the onions have softened.

Add in the tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes soften and have begun to release their juices.

Add in the shrimp paste and stir, sautéing it for about a minute.

Pour in water and the squash. Cover, and let simmer for about 3-5 minutes. You’ll want to soften the squash just enough until mildly soft when poked with a fork, but not to the point of being mushy.

Add in the yard-long beans, bitter melon, eggplant, and okra. Cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Taste the pinakbet. Season with more bagoong, salt, and/or black pepper to taste. You can also pour in more water if you prefer it to be more on the saucy side.

Serve with rice as a main, or as a side dish with fried fish or grilled meat. Enjoy!

Tips for success

Stagger your cooking

The key to pinakbet is cooking all your ingredients in a staggered manner. Starting off with the pork helps to develop a sear while allowing its fats to render for more flavor. Onions and garlic are added afterwards for an underlying depth of aromatics. Tomatoes go in next to allow them to melt into the sauce, followed by squash since it takes longer for them to soften. The softer veggies are then thrown in last (eggplant, bitter melon, okra, and beans) since they take less time to soften.

Cut your veggies around relatively the same size

Doing so will allow the veggies to cook more evenly, without some being more overcooked than others.

You can reduce the bitterness of bitter melon

My mom would always use this trick to reduce the natural bitterness of this vegetable. Simply prepare your bitter melon as instructed, then soak the slices in salted water for at least 15-20 minutes. You can do this first while you prep the rest of the ingredients, and by the time you need to add the bitter melon to the dish, the salt would’ve helped to draw out much of its bitterness.

Looking for more classic Filipino meals? Here’s a couple you might enjoy: