On Making Pinakbet and Finding My Soul

Pinakbet is my favorite dish. Period.

I'm not speaking in general terms, like it's my favorite Filipino dish, no.  I really mean that Pinakbet--the illest of Ilocano dishes--is my most favorite food in the whole entire world times infinity!  Even by Filipino standards, this is a curious choice (I think) on my part as I know of many Pinoys who can't stand this vegetable medley.  I'm sure it has to do with the ever-present ampalaya, but as you may remember (or not), I loves me some bitter melon.

Despite my fondness for Pinakbet I had never attempted to make it.  I was happy enough getting my once-in-a-while-fix whenever I would visit my grandparents or my parents.  My grandmother and mother can both whip up a batch with a purse of the lips (psssst, hoy!).  Soon enough though, I started hankering for the stuff on a more regular basis.  I started making up excuses to visit my parents just so I could relieve my jonesing for Pinakbet:

Mother: What are you doing home?

Me: Uh, I was in the neighborhood.

Mother: You live an hour and a half away.

Me: Uh, what's for dinner? Pinakbet?

Dad: Goddamn it! Can't you make your own!

My dad's a really good guy (he's just really mean [I'm kidding {not really}]).

Anyhoo, I finally realized that I needed to figure out how to make Pinakbet for myself (otherwise my dad would start charging me for groceries).

As recently as a few months ago, I had no idea how to make Pinakbet.  I knew that its basic components generally consisted of tomatoes, squash, long beans, ampalaya (bitter melon), okra, eggplant, patis or bagoong (my mother and grandmother use patis), and a nice bit of fatty pork (if you so desire).  And according to the wisdom of my grandmother and mother, all I would have to do with these ingredients is throw them in a pot with a bit of water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes until tender.  Easy right?

Somtimes I think my mother and grandmother tell me things just to mess with me.

My first attempt at Pinakbet ended horribly. So horribly in fact that I considered changing the name of this blog from Burnt Lumpia to Piss Poor Pinakbet:

To the untrained (non-Pinakbet eating) eye, the mess in the red pot is exactly that--a mess.  Whatever I made, it wasn't Pinakbet.  It had everything that was supposed to be in Pinakbet, but it definitely wasn't Pinakbet.  It was bland and boring. It was odorless and tasteless, like Ghost is faceless.  It was soulless.  It was the Kenny G of Pinakbet.

In fact, as I forced myself to eat my sorry excuse for Pinakbet, I'm pretty sure I heard the dulcet tones of Kenny's sax blowing to the tune of "neener-neener-neener".  Damn you Kenny G!  Damn you straight to hell!!!

So, defeated and embarassed by my Pinakbet failure, I went back to my mother to snatch the proverbial Pinakbet pebble from her hand.  This time though, I didn't merely ask her how to make Pinakbet because I knew she'd only give me some obtuse answer like, "Just put it in the pot and cook it!"  And although I've eaten this dish many times, I've never actually seen how it is made.  So I stood by mother's side and watched her make Pinakbet, step-by-step.

As I found out, my first mistake was that I used too big of a pot.  I used a huge 7-qt dutch oven on my first try (I can hear all the Filipinos laughing at me right now).  My mother just used a little soup pot and literally filled it to the top with vegetables.

My next mistake was that I paid too much attention to chopping and measuring and having everything so perfect. My mother just hacked everything willy-nilly into pieces.  She didn't even cut her tomatoes, she just stuck her thumbs in the stem-ends and ripped them tomatoes apart! I, on the other hand, made sure to slice all my veggies into nice uniform pieces (seriously, stop laughing at me).

And the final mistake I made was in my choice in pork. I used a single, lean pork chop (ok, you can laugh at that one, it is pretty pathetic).  My mom used Chicharron, or what is also known as Bagnet in the Phillipines.  It's basically a piece of pork rind, fat, and meat that is deep-fried. I found my chicharron at my local Latin market.

As you can see from the chicharron picture above, that hunk of meat and fat would provide a lot more flavor to Pinakbet than a measly pork chop would.  I am an idiot.

Armed with the secrets of Pinakbet, I headed back home to my own kitchen and attempted to recreate what I learned from my mother.

I started with a smaller pot and lined the bottom with tomatoes that I tore apart with my hands:

I then started to layer pieces of squash, ampalaya, long beans, okra, eggplant, onions, and more tomatoes, until I filled the pot:

I then added a tiny bit of water (maybe about a quarter cup) and some patis (maybe 2-3 tablespoons, you can add more later to taste), clamped the lid on and brought everything to a boil.  After the pot reached a boil, I reduced the heat and simmered for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, I hacked apart some chicharron into bite-sized pieces:

After the pot simmered for 15 minutes, I added the chicharron, covered again, and simmered for 10 more minutes to let some of the pork fat melt off into the veggies. Also notice that not once do I stir or disturb the contents of the pot.

And then?  It was done. Easy right?

Even though my house smelled GLORIOUS at this point, I was still a bit afraid to have a taste.  Failure does that to you.  Despite this initial apprehension, I spooned some of my newly made Pinakbet over some rice and had a bite.

And another bite.

And another.

Holy crap, I made Pinakbet!  The vegetables were tender but not mushy, and there was just enough liquid (I prefer my Pinakbet to be a bit soupy) rendered from the tomatoes, water, patis, and pork fat.  This was no Kenny G version of Pinakbet.  This was James Brown, the Soul Brother Number One version of my most favorite dish.

I would normally provide an exact recipe here, but there is no exact recipe for Pinakbet.  You just throw everything in a pot and cook it! ;)

I got soul! Ha! And I'm super bad!

Comments

[Fran]

Hey BL, I found your blog through a link from Tastespotting (or was it Slashfood?) to your bananas foster post. Anyway, I'm enjoying your blog. Pinakbet is also one of my favorite dishes. For me it has to have okra and kabocha. When my husband and I make it we start by rendering some of the pork fat and then sauteing some garlic in the fat before adding the other vegetables. Yum!

[elmomonster]

I love this post! LOVE IT! Especially this part:

"...I spooned some of my newly made Pinakbet over some rice and had a bite.

And another bite.

And another.

Holy crap, I made Pinakbet!"

I too love pinakbet. And I'm not even pinoy!

[TeddyKim]

I will probably never make Pinakbet since I hate bitter melon, but I did enjoy your post. Nice RZA reference btw. Wu-Tang!

[Janice]

bleh...not a fan of pinakbet...

i showed my baby sister this post and she said, "OMG!!! I LOVE THAT STUFF! that's all we ate in California [while staying with relatives]!"

i tried eating bitter melon again when my mom put it in her paksiw na bangus...i loved the bangus (except painstakingly picking out bone after bone after bone) but i still can't stomach bitter melon...i think my mother lies when she says that i loved it as a child.

in other non-food-related news, have you heard of www.happyslip.com? it's a Filipina-American chick making skits of her family but she performs all the characters...even my mom got a kick out of it!

[Burnt Lumpia]

Hi Fran, thanks for stopping by. Mmmmm. Garlic and pork fat. I'm gonna have to include that step in my next attempt at Pinakbet.

Thanks Elmo! You are slowly convincing me that you have the best taste in all the land.

Teddy, I am very, very impressed that you caught that. I didn't think anyone on the planet would catch that RZA gem.

Hi Janice. Yeah, I figured there would be some pinakbet haters;) And I had never heard of Happy Slip before you mentioned her. I went over to her site and became an instant fan. I'm adding her to my blogroll NOW. Great find Janice, thanks for that!

[caninecologne]

Hi there! Great blog by the way! Pinakbet is one of my favorite dishes!I don't make it too often because my husband doesn't like bittermelon, eggplant or okra!

Anyways, loved your post on the ube (very Prince!) - so much so that I plan to make it really soon for the first time! Keep up the great posts!

ps
Kenny G is the antiChrist

[Ed]

Dad: Goddamn it! Can't you make your own!

Yup - it's funny, all the Filipino guys I know (most of my brothers, their friends, my dad, myself) know how to cook something well - we could never leave the house until we knew how to make a decent pot of rice without the aid of a rice cooker. Was this your case? And I'm still amazed how many non-Asians are astounded by the taste of well-cooked rice...

And pinakbet - I'm half Ilokano (southern Ilokano, to be exact - my dad and that side of the family pronounce their "e"'s as "euhhhh") and I really like this dish. I don't like too much liquid, though.

[joey]

I so know what you mean...that moment when you realized you have made, with your own two hands, that Filipino dish that you've loved but had only decided to make now...it's magic! :) Your pinakbet adventure was a wonderful read! Inspiring :)

[oggi]

I also learned making pinakbet watching my mom cook it but never tried making it until last year, although I used the recipe from the cookbook of Via Mare restaurant owner Glenda Baretto. I didn't know there are several versions of pinakbet depending on the region.

BTW, I loved the comparison of the first attempt to the dreadful KennyG!:D

[Jago]

I think Kenny G's Christmas albums are nice. Do you hate Christmas? I'll bet you do!

[Wandering Chopsticks]

There you go adding the bittermelon again. Ack!

I never really learned to cook from my mom b/c she's always telling me to add a bit of this and a bit of that. Yeah, that's for the precise directions!

[Krizia]

I'm seriously convinced that the secret is in the torn tomatoes :D I always tear me up some tomatoes whenever I make adobo, sinigang, pinakbet, etc. I also add shrimp to my pinakbet. I think Filipinos are the masters of partnering pork and seafood in our cuisine :) Always such a harmonious concoction!

[Christine]

Like you, pinakbet is one of those dishes I take for granted that my mom or the cook will always make for me so I haven't bothered learnin to make it on my own. I did attempt a couple of times in London,using the Nora Daza cookbook, but they were not full fledged versions, just okra, squash and other veggies with bagoong and patis. BTW, did your have bagoong? The addition of the chicharon sounds perfect! I can just imagine the flavor it imparts on the whole thing. Entertaining post as usual, Marvin. :)

[Mila]

You need bagoong for your pinakbet. I don't know if I agree with your definition of chicharon as bagnet, but while travelling through ilocos (norte and sur) this summer, I ate a lot of pinakbet with tons of bagnet incorporated into the dish. My nanny is from Ilocos norte, so I grew up eating a lot of pinakbet, it's my favorite pinoy stew. I normally skipped the ampalaya but it does give the sauce a necessary twist. My favorite parts were the okra, and the sauce full of bagoong spiciness.

[Burnt Lumpia]

caninecologne, there was a time when I thought I didn't like those veggies either. I finally came around though. And I hope my ube pancakes are not a bust if you do make them.

Hi Ed. I think I grew up the complete opposite of you. None of the men in my family really cook much. My dad is good on the grill though.

Thanks joey! I'm still surprised at how good it turned out. I really wasn't expecting much based on my first try.

Hi oggi, yes there are many versions, even within the same region there are many versions as each household will do something different.

Jago, I love Christmas, just as long as Mister G is not involved.

Dub C, bitter melon is delicious once you get used to it.

Krizia, I agree about the tomatoes. It never even occurred to me to use my hands.

Christine, I didn't use bagoong because neither my grandma nor my mom use it in pinakbet. They eat bagoong with many other things, just not in Pinakbet.

Hi Mila, my mother and grandmother are both Ilocano, so I'm pretty comfortable with their bagoong-free version of Pinakbet. Everyone will make this dish differently, which is part of the reason I didn't give an exact recipe.

[Katrina]

Count me in as a pinakbet hater. ;-)

The Kenny G analogy is hilarious!

[Burnt Lumpia]

Another Pinakbet hater? Et tu, Katrina? ;)

[maybahay]

hi, i just discovered your blog via 80breakfasts and am enjoying reading it. then i come across your pinakbet adventure which was posted exactly the same day as i posted mine! am new at blogging and it amazes me how many kindred spirits one finds on the net when it comes to food.

[Burnt Lumpia]

Hi maybahay. What a coincidence that we both post about pinakbet on the same day! Yours looks delicious!

[:)]

My grandma always used to make this one dish with bitter melon and shrimp paste and it always made the house smell interesting for the next few days. But hey, memories right?

Love your work, keep posting!

[Burnt Lumpia]

Thanks mysterious happy face! I'm glad you like my writing.

[marisa]

you forgot the pounded ginger...

[Just a Plane Ride Away]

OMG! This post was so funny, I had tears in my eyes!!

[Burnt Lumpia]

hello marisa. I will try it with ginger next time I make pinakbet.

Hi Plane Ride! I'm glad you found it funny!

[Mik]

I, too, love my pinakbet and beg my Mom to make it every time she comes to visit. My husband and kids don't eat it so I freeze it in individual servings to eat whenever I get the craving. I don't like bittermelon but I know it is essential to the flavor of the pinakbet. For all you bittermelon haters, you might try blanching it separately and then adding it to the pinakbet when it's almost done. It diffuses some of the bitterness. Love the blog!

[toni]

Your Kenny G comment was so hilarious. *L*

Congratulations on finding that soul! W0000t! I've never attempted to cook pinakbet but am now inspired by you. I'll try to follow your recipe! Let's see how it turns out.

Kenny G, stay away!!!

[Burnt Lumpia]

Thanks Mik. That's a great tip about the bittermelon!

Hi Toni. Making pinakbet is super easy, just adjust everything to your tastes and you should be fine.

[Butch]

I'm pure tagalog growing up in laguna but I love pinakbet, when I was in the service some of my friends are from Ilocos and they cook these often and now I tried to cook it and it turn out real good. Thanks a lot

[sue]

hallo marvin!sarap naman nito,salamat for the recipe.

[chris]

Now, I missed home. One tip I've heard from somebody regarding bitter melon, is to slice it then soak it with salt and then squeeze the juice out. It will remove some of the bitterness. Not sure how it would look with the pinakbet though.

[mmmelissa]

oh. my. god.
i lub, lub, lub, LUB your blog!
so glad I found you!!

[Burnt Lumpia]

Thanks butch, I'm glad you liked the recipe.

Thanks sue.

Hi chris, I've heard the same tip before. But I like the taste of bittermelon so I don't mind the bitterness.

Hello mmmelisa. I'm glad you found me too, and I hope you visit often.

[JM]

Thanks for your post about Pinakbet. It is MY favorite!! I am from a Tagalog family, but my mother raised us to savor the special occasions when we get to eat it. I never liked it too much as a child. It is a dish you have to have a set of adult taste buds. Please continue with your great work. Someday It will be served in mainstream fancy restaurants. I may be the one who does so.

[Burnt Lumpia]

Thanks for visiting my blog, JM. If someday you do serve this in a fancy restaurant, I hope I'm there to taste it.

[JMom]

found your pinakbet post from Joey's at 80 breakfast. I hadn't read this one before and thoroughly enjoyed reading about your pinakbet adventure.

"Kenny G of pinakbet" that made me LOL! :D

[Burnt Lumpia]

Thanks JMom. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[toninoname]

Congrats on finding your soul in cooking and letting us know how to cok pinakbet. Your post is amusing. I found this video on how to cook Pinakbet on www.filipino-foods.com. Enjoy! :)

[James Aragon]

Great posting. My wife makes great pinakbet as well... she is Visayan and has slight different take. She uses pumpkin, okra, Chinese long beans, bitter melon, onion, garlic and tomatoes along with Philippine soy sauce. And you are right, no measurements needed, just soul and attitude.

[Burnt Lumpia]

Thanks for the link toninoname.

Thanks for stopping by my blog, james!

[Hoz]

My Dad (from Ilocos Sur) gave me some Amplaya seeds about 20 years ago. I STILL have the original strain growing in my garden.

We grow, cook and enjoy our own Pinakbet here in Indiana! In a bumper year we also freeze it for winter use. Not as crunchy after the freezer but the taste is still there.

I like mine with bagoong (another acquired taste) but I often leave the eggplant out. For me the EP just gets all squishy and not much taste.

Thx for the blog and keep finding your soul.

Get DOWN with your BAD SELF!

[T Fabrizo]

I want some. God that looks so so so good!

[lavaflow]

"Just put it in the pot and cook it!" That is such a Filipino parent type of cooking comment. I once asked my mother how long it took to cook pinakbet and she replied, "you cook until it is finished." Yup, thoroughly obtuse but she was totally serious. This cooking experience reminds me of a really funny thing I read about an older Pinay teaching a younger one how to cook pinakbet. You can read the short story, "The Chicharon Widows" at
http://www.spiritofaloha.com/features-11-marapri-08.html

[Vicky]

My dad was a pinakbet master. He made his own bagoong and grew all of his own vegetables. He also used the same technique of not disturbing the contents of the pot. To get the juices to reach the top layers, he would hold the pot by the side handles, lift up, and shake it up and down so as to force the liquid from the bottom layers onto the top layers.

I just discovered you today, and I am already a big fan!

[Jopin]

OMG! Mouthwatering! Thanks to Tarcs for sending me your blog.

[lee jen]

..wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.nag imaw ayta unay...mabisinakon!!!

[Leela@SheSimmers]

Thanks, Marvin, for directing me to this post. This looks very delicious and I can see why this is your favorite dish in the entire world times infinity. Doesn't look difficult. Maybe I should give it a shot this weekend.

[Jasmin]

Amen to that! Sometimes with aramang, sometimes with pork, or shrimps, or ampalaya leaves...You must have that Ilocano "papaitan" gene ;) I know I do!