Pakbet with Lechon Belly Recipe

Pakbet with Manila Belly

PAKBET RECIPE by Chef Claude Tayag

Pakbet Sofrito: good for 1 kilo (2 lbs) mixed vegetables.

1/4 cup oil

1 pc medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped finely

8 pcs plum tomatoes, chopped finely

1 tbsp ginger strips

4 tbsp shrimp paste (bagoong alamang, fresh from wet market, not the commercial flavored type), washed and drained.

Knorr shrimp cube

Cooking:

1.  Heat oil in pan, sauté garlic and onion until translucent. Add ginger strips.

2. Add tomatoes, shrimp paste and let simmer for 1 minute.

Vegetables:

10 pcs sitaw (yard-long beans), cut into 2-inch long pieces

1 pc 8” ampalaya (bitter gourd), cut lengthwise, remove white pith, and cut into 1” diagonally, or 6 pcs mini ampalaya, cut in halves and revove white pith.

5 pcs okra (Japanese variety, if available) cut in half diagonally

2 pcs eggplants, cut diagonally into 1/2” pieces

200 gms squash, peeled and cut into 1” wedges

Sigadillas/sigarillas – wing beans (if available)

Some green finger chilies

100 g Patani or broad beens (if available)

Some kalabasa (squash or pumpkin) flowers, buds and young leaf tips.

Cooking: Boil 2 cups water and add 1 tsp salt. Blanch each vegetable (except for the kalabasa flowers) separately as each one has different cooking time, using the same water (except for ampalaya, whose lquid you will discard.) Make sure not to overcook. Keep the remaining liquid. The flavor and nutrients of the veggies are in it.

In a sauté pan, heat the sofrito and add the remaining liquid from vegetable blanching. Allow to simmer till liquid has been reduced by half. Add the mixed vegetables and mix well. Serve immediately.

Optional: Top with chicharon, bagnet/lechon kawali, or boneless lechon, cut into 1” cubes. Another option is to top it with grilled or fried bangus, or boiled shrimps/prawns. Kalabasa flowers are for topping only. They can be served raw or made into tempura.