This is an unusual Sunday.
Unusual because I was up and about by 6:30am. I usually oversleep during Sundays. Anyhoo, what better way to start my day than a trip to the local market. A good friend will be visiting for lunch and I want us to share a hearty meal. While I was on my way to the market, I was thinking of what lunch will be. I was craving for meat and vegetables. So when I got to the market and saw the many vegetables all lined up, I knew exactly what I wanted.
As soon as I arrived home, I collected all my fresh ingredients and got started.
Any idea on the dish I'm about to do?
I did the following to prep the ingredients:
- Chopped the pork
- Minced the garlic
- Sliced the shallots
- Diced the tomatoes
- Sliced the eggplant, okra and bitter melon.
I got my pan ready. Poured a little amount of olive oil and chili oil when the pan got hot and dumped the cubed pork. Once done and crispy, I took it out of the pan and set it aside. Then, I sauteed the garlic, followed by the shallots and the tomatoes. After a few minutes, I poured in the vegetables. I seasoned the mix with salt and pepper and put about half a cup of water to let it simmer. While simmering, I squeezed in some fresh lemon juice for a bit of a kick. I was careful not to overcook the veggies or else it will be soggy and disappointing. After letting it simmer for 4 minutes, my kitchen was filled with the wonderful aroma of Pinakbet.
You might wonder why I didn't put any Bagoong or Shrimp Paste. Well, my good friend is quite allergic to Bagoong and I, too, am not a big fan of it. If you want to have that saltiness, you can put a tablespoon or two of Fish Sauce or Patis. But for us, we're pretty happy with our Pinakbet sans Bagoong.
Now, a good Pinakbet must be paired with good meat. My good friend was fantastic enough to whip up his version of Crispy Liempo. Lemon-Basil salt, fresh ground pepper and flour does the trick.
Hearty lunch.
Wonderful company.
Fantastic Sunday.
So, what did you have for lunch today?
