Grocery Adventure of December 14, 2023

 

Pinakbet: It's a local dish from Ilocos Norte, Philippines. My hometown is Paoay, Ilocos Norte. You can also add any Fish and Shrimp or none. The traditional way to cook this is to place every ingredient in a clay pot, place the lid, shake it with Bagoong (Anchovy Paste), and let it cook on a clay burner. No meat, mostly.

Calabaza will balance the sweetness with the bitterness of the Biter Mellon.

I like adding a lot of tomatoes to my Pinakbet. It gives a bit of sourness with a tint of sweetness.

The pork sides or pork belly for Lechon Kawali. It doesn't have to be Lechon Kawali. Make sure to boil the pork separately first hand.

I went to Indian Bazar Market for the onion and other ingredients. Good price too... obviously, too organic, lol. Just take out the skin, and it's cleaned.

Some of this eggplant will do. I sometimes take the once on the right.

Some Indian Bitter Mellon. I was looking for the smaller kinds. I found a few half the size of the ones you see here. 

Usually, the long string beans are the traditional ingredient for the Pinakbet, but I like these kinds better.  

Some Okras. They have no Banana Peppers.

I returned to Manila Oriental Market to look for Banana Peppers, but there was none. But these Jalapenos are exceptional. As for me, I put the whole pack, but I removed the seeds. You can keep them if you like them spicy.

$10.99 Chinese Vegetable Oil. I bought one.

Here are the whole vegetable ingredients, and I am adding Ginger and Garlic to the mix. 

I missed the first swing off the center. The second one on the right spot. That was fun. 

All done prepping. You can do smaller ones than this; some are already pre-made (prepped) from Sea-Food City. But I live with an army. If the kids (nieces) are afraid of the weird-looking Bitter Melon, I'll just put it in the fridge, and this could last for almost three days or a week for me... and the folks, sometimes my bro. Maybe his wife, too.

These pork sides are about to be boiled. Pork Belly is better. It must have been one lean pig if it was belly.

To make it crunchier, you dry it while prepping. Ah... I didn't boil it longer. Still bloody. 

Oi! That is pork blood fool. JK, they come around even bees.

I need to buy a new tabletop burners. Very old... 60ish.

I should have used the oven or the air fryer, but that would have taken longer. Anyway, I regret that I should have used the other deep fryer where I used the pork to dry. This one takes up too much oil, so I added some old used oil. My mother told me it wasn't for frying but planning to toss it away. Oops... that's what I get for being cheap. As I said, I should have bought two bottles of Chinese Vegetable Oil. But I wasn't thinking. I paid for what I got for frying the Kuwali Pork. 

Not bad, I ate these with rice and fish sauce. Just over time, when you just lay it on top of the Pinakbet, It's damn chewy. So, select the right fryer or pay for two bottles. Not unless you cook the pork with Pinakbet, it somehow melts in your mouth and it's good.

You cook it with just Water, Cooking Oil, and Bagoong (Anchovy Paste). The harder vegetables are the first to cook, except Garlic, Ginger, Onions, and then Tomatoes. 

I recommend eating the Pinakbet with Bagoong.

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