Authentic Ilocano Dish

1. Dinengdeng a bunga ken uggot ti karabasa, (squash fruit and shoots stew)

As a kid and a farm boy, one of the vegetables I love that much is karabasa (squash) mainly because my mother used to tell us her children that squash fruit is actually an "itlog ti nuang" or a carabao's egg, so nutritious and full of vitamins and minerals and whatever healthy stuff growing barrio kids need, aside from the "fact" that it really is good for the eye, for it to see more clearly, so my mother said so. We always have a squash plant with its vine freely creeping on and/or climbing up at our backyard vegetable garden, or in corners of the farm where rotting rice straws are kept (rice straw compost is an excellent organic fertilizer so you can imagine how lush and thriving the squash planted in it).

Karabasa is so versatile a vegetable in that its main parts are all edible and great for dinengdeng. Besides the fruit, its blossoms are prized as well as its shoots. And what I love most of it is that the three parts can become a very delicious dinengdeng combination, all in one or with other leafy greens.

2. Pinakbet

Pakbet or pinakbet is a popular vegetable dish that originated from one of the northern provinces of the Philippines, Ilocos. The vegetables used on this dish are usually grown in the back yard of every villager and are available almost all year long. Bitter Melon, eggplant, okra, and string beans are just some of the vegetables that make-up this delightful dish. Pakbet is cooked in a clay pot called “Palayok” and Anchovy sauce (bagoong isda) is used to add flavor.“Pakbet Tagalog”.

Pakbet Ilocano Recipe

Ingredients

4 pieces round eggplant cut in half2 pieces small bitter melon ampalaya, quartered½ bundle string beans cut into 2 inch length1 piece sweet potato kamote, quartered8 pieces okra1 piece tomato cubed1 piece onion cubed1½ cup water1 lb bagnet1/4 cup Anchovy sauce bagoong isda

Instructions

1. In a large pan, place water let boil

Put in the anchovy sauce and wait for the mixture to boil once moreAdd-in the vegetables starting with the sweet potato then put-in the okra, bitter melon, eggplant, string beans, tomato, and onion and simmer for 15 minutesAdd the bagnet or lechon kawali (cooking procedure available in the recipe section) and simmer for 5 minutes Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Sodium: 1166mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5100IU | Vitamin C: 46.5mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 0.6mg

3. Dinengdeng na Saluyot at Labong

Ingredients

½ cup oil1 tilapia, cleaned and guttedwater2 cups labong, julienned1 small onion, peeled and quartered½ cup bagoong (fermented fish sauce)1 bunch saluyot, leaves separated from stems (about 4 cups leaves), salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

In a pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add tilapia and fry, turning once or twice, until golden and cooked through. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

In a pot over medium heat, add about 4 cups and bring to a boil. Add labong and cook for about 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain labong and discard liquid.In another pot over medium heat, combine 5 cups of water and onion. Bring to a boil. In a bowl, combine bagoong with ½ cup of the boiling water. In a fine mesh strainer, strain bagoong to extract juice and discard small fish particles from the bagoong. Add the bagoong sauce into the pot. Lower heat to simmer.Add the labong and continue to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add fried fish and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes to slightly soften. Add saluyot leaves and continue to cook for about 2 to 4 minutes or until just wilted. Season with pepper to taste.

Serve with steam rice.

4. Deningdeng/Inabraw (Mixed vegetables)

Bagoong or bugguong is made through the mixture of salt and fish or other seafoods, such as shrimp, and kept covered in an earthen jar (burnay) to ferment for at least 30 days. An Ilocanobagoong is typically made of fermented munamon or anchovies. It is a very important element in every Ilocano kitchen. Bagoong is not only a simple condiment used as a complement dip sauce for their local appetizers; it is also used as main flavor enhancer and ingredient to a number of Ilocano dishes.

Ilocanos are not only known for their frugality, they are also admired for their love for eating vegetables. In fact, it was my lola who taught me how to eat okra, talong (eggplant) andmalunggay (marunggay/ moringa). She used to keep a malunggay tree, along with other vegetable shrubs and fruit-bearing plants, at the backyard of our house in Pangasinan. Every time she would cook for us, our dining table would look like a mini-garden with all those prolific edible flowers and root crops around. When my maternal mother died at my young age of 5, lola stood as second mother to me and to my siblings. Spending most of my childhood with lola by side, I have learned to appreciate all her dishes – among them was her many variations of Dinengdeng, also known as Inabraw. It is an indigenous Ilocano stewed vegetable soup flavored and seasoned with none other than bagoong isda.

Cooking Procedure

1. Heat the cooking oil in a pan and sauté garlic and onion until light brown.

2. Add pork and cook until golden brown

3. Add tomatoes, shrimp paste and salt to taste

4. Add the vegetables and then mix together.

5. Pour water (mix well) then cover and simmer for 15 minutes in a medium heat or until vegetables are half cooked (check for its doneness by poking it with a toothpick).

6. Serve hot with rice.

5. Try this Kilawing Kambing Recipe (Chopped Goatskin Kilawin) Recipe. Cheers!

Ingredients

1 lb. goatskin, 6 pieces spicy Thai chili,1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger,1 medium red onion minced, 6 to 10 tablespoons coconut vinegar or white vinegar, 4 cups water, 4 pieces dried bay leaves. Salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. Pour water in a cooking pot. Bring to a boil.

2. Add the bay leaves and goatskin. Cover and boil in low heat for 60 minutes or until the skin gets tender.

3. Remove the tender skin from the cooking pot and discard the water. Let it cool down and then chop into small pieces. Set aside.

4. In a large glass or plastic bowl, combine chili, ginger, onion, and vinegar. Mix well.

5. Add the chopped goat. Toss to mix all the ingredients.

6. Add salt and pepper according to your taste preference. Toss one more time to ensure that the salt and pepper blends well.

7. Cover the bowl with a clear plastic wrap, or simply with a wide plate. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

8. Transfer to a serving platter and Serve.

9. Share and enjoy!