Easy Plant Based Filipino Pinakbet

I follow my cravings and that was what I was doing when I cooked this plant based version of another iconic dish from the Philippines, Pinakbet. It is a vegetable dish to begin with using the ones you might have on hand but there are some that are customarily used like okra and bitter melon. I luckily found okra in the grocery store which I used with the eggplant.  I added the cabbage for more bulk and nutrition but I would have preferred to have used green beans which I did not have at hand.

As much as possible I wanted the dish that I was preparing to match what I was craving. The vegetables I used were close to that criteria but I have the challenge to approximate the taste of bagoong, which is the heart of the dish.  It is made of either fish anchovies or shrimps that had been highly salted.  The shrimp variety are even sauteed in pork. Definitely not plant based.

I decided to use the combination of soy sauce, almond butter and miso paste to mimic the characteristic saltiness that the bagoong imparts on ones palate.  I am happy to say it worked.

We Filipinos like to undersalt our dish and use a condiment like fish sauce or more bagoong while eating the dish. That is what I did with this pinakbet but this time I used miso paste. I am happy to say my cravings for pinakbet have been satisfied with this plant version as I use this Filipino custom.

 Easy Plant Based Filipino Pinakbet

• 1 eggplant, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cups loosely packed okra
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp miso paste (need more as condiment when eating)
• 1/2 cup water

Place all the ingredients in a pot and allow the mixture to boil with the pot cover on.  Allow to boil gently till the vegetables are all cooked. Serve with rice or quinoa with a side of more miso paste to incorporate as little dabs with every bite of pinakbet with rice. This mixture is blissful.