Dinengdeng/ Inabraw (Mixed Vegetables Simmered in Fermented Fish Sauce)

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 bundle sitaw (yard long string beans), both ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 
  • 1 bundle sigarilyas (winged seguidillas beans), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 
  • 1 bundle bunga ng malunggay (moringa/ marunggay pods), skinned and cuto into 2-inch pieces 
  • 2-3 pcs. talong (long eggplant), sliced lengthwise and cut into 1-inch diagonal pieces 
  • 1 cup alukon (himbabau/ birch blossoms), trimmed 
  • 2 pcs. medium sized kamote (sweet potato tuber), peeled and diced 
  • 1 cup patani (kidney/ lima beans), peeled or as is 
  • ¼ cup bagoong isda (fermented fish sauce) 
  • 3-4 cups water 
  • 1 whole fish (tilapia or milkfish), pan-fried or grilled 

PROCEDURE: 
  1. Make sure to thoroughly wash all the vegetables before cooking. 
  2. Bring water to a boil in a medium pot. In a bowl, dilute bagoong isda with some fermented fishes with 1-2 cups of hot water from the pot. Mash or pound the fish to detach the meat from the bones. Pour the diluted bagoong back to the pot over a strainer. Discard the filtered fish bones. If using pure bagoong sauce, just mix the liquid to the boiling water. Let it simmer for 3 minutes while scooping out all scum that rises. 
  3. Add the kamote and patani. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
  4. When the kamote starts to break apart, add the malunggay, sigarilyas and sitaw. 
  5. Lastly, put the talong and alukon. Continue simmering until vegetables are almost cooked 
  6. Drop the grilled or fried fish. Cover the pot and keep simmering for 2-3 more minutes to allow the fish release its flavor. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy! 

**Number of Servings: 3 to 4

TIPS FROM ENZ: 
  1. For the fried or grilled fish, you may use tuna belly, galunggong (mackerel scad) and matambaka (bigeye scad). Practically any small to medium-sized fish will do. 
  2. Instead of fish, you may also put clam meats, fresh shrimps, hibi (dried salted shrimps) and dried squid. If you want it meaty (and fatty), you may try grilled pork liempo with some fats or beef. 
  3. To lessen the stench of bagoong and fish, you may add chopped onions or ginger. 
  4. You may add more variety of exotic vegetables depending on your preference like okra, tomatoes, kardis/ kadyos (pigeon peas), marunggay leaves, saluyot (jute leaves), talbos ng kamote (sweet potato tops), bunga at bulaklak ng kalabasa (squash fruit and blossom), ampalaya (bitter gourd), kulitis/ kuantong (amaranth leaves), sabunganay (banana blossom), gabi (taro corm) and a lot more. The possibilities are endless.