Pinangat

PINANGAT

Filipino Food: Pinangat

  Pinangat is a famous native chili-hot delicacy of the CITY of ALBAY. A vegetable dish cooked in coconut milk mixed with select spices and its most important ingredient, the TARO (gabi in Filipino and natong in Bicol) leaves.

  Local gourmets are easily agreed that none can equal the quality of pinangat in ALBAY. Whenever visitors come to Bicol, the first thing they invariably look for is their favorite pinangat from ALBAY. Even balikbayans do not fail to take home along with them to their host country a box or two of frozen pinangat as pasalubong.

  That’s how popular and special THE ALBAY’S pinangat is as a food dish.

  Pinangat is a nutritious vegetable dish whose main ingredient includes shredded gabi leaves, a bit of red ginger, tiny shrimps (balaw) or a slice of salted fish (kanduli) or pork. Crushed pepper (siling labuyo) is added to the mixture to make the pinangat hot. The entire recipe is then wrapped in gabi leaves and tied in small bundles. These are placed in a palayok and cooked in coconut milk.

  Pinangat is definitely a palate teaser, appetizing and yummy. It is in fact the pride of ALBAY.

INGREDIENTS:

- ABOUT 7 TO 10 FRESH GABI LEAVES (DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF YOUR GUESTS COUNT 1 TO 2 LEAVES PER PERSON)

- NEVER WASH YOUR LEAVES JUST WIPE THEM TO CLEAN THEM

- 2 CLOVES OF GARLIC

- ABOUT HALF KILO OF 

SLICED GABI LEAVES, STALKS AND GABI ROOT

- 2 TABLESPOONS OF BAGOONG (SHRIMP PASTE)

- 3 BIG ONION CHOPPED

- ABOUT HALF A KILO OF 
GROUND PORK

- 3 CUPS OF COCONUT MILK

- 1 CUP GINGER, CUT INTO STRIPS

- SOME CHILIES

Procedure:

  In a bowl mix well your ground pork, bagoong, chopped onion, garlic, chilies, GINGER and sliced gabi leaves, stalks and gabi. Pour a quarter of your coconut milk. Get one leaf and put about 2 to 3 tablespoons of your mixture in the middle of the leaf. Close the leaf outwards going inwards to be able to come up with a small package like. Tie them with coconut leaves or simply kitchen threads we use for cooking (tying chicken legs when roasting chicken, etc). Put in a deep casserole your small gabi packages. Pour your coconut milk and let it simmer slowly over medium fire. Add your coconut cream and let it continue simmering. It is done when you sauce becomes thick and coconut oil starts to come out.

Serve the hot PINANGAT with rice and have a great meal.
Cooking time (duration): about an hour and a half
Number of servings (yield): 4 to 6
Meal type: lunch / supper