Guinataang Sitaw and Kalabasa
Longbeans and Squash cooked in coconut milk. This is plain “guinataan” unlike the spiced-up Squash Curry I previously made. Like the squash, I made this without any meats or shrimps. Normally, I’d put in some “alugbati” leaves but they’re unavailable where I am. I haven’t had alugbati in years…..ohhhh…what I’d give for another taste of that vegetable!
This was cooked the way my mother makes guinataan, with a little dash of vinegar at the simmering vegetables just before turning off the heat. I served it with some lechon kawali I got from the Filipino Sari-Sari Store which was a bit under done for my taste. The lechon came out just right after I broiled it in the oven for a few minutes.
The Longbeans and Squash wasn’t perfect. I’d prefer the sweetness of fresh coconut milk anyday…and the butternut squash I used was too pale, both in color and flavor. But Spouse loved it the way it was and didn’t even touch the lechon. I’ll bet he’ll like guinataan even more when we move back to the Philippines where ingredients like these can be had fresh.
This is easy to prepare. Just put the following in a wok: 2 mashed garlic cloves, 1 diced onion, 1 2 in. pc. peeleed and sliced ginger, a dash of red pepper flakes/small labuyo peppers to taste, 1/4 c. fish sauce or shrimp paste, cubed squash, bunch of longbeans cut in 1-in. lengths and a can of coconut milk. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat and simmer until the vegetables are done.
Bring it to a boil one last time and add a dash of vinegar. Correct seasonings and serve hot over steamed rice.
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Comments
Coconut milk…. ahh… i love ginata veg, meat or fish. I could live off ginata everyday 
looks divine Mita.
I happen to have alugbati in my garden…When do you add this greens? I want to try this recipe soon….this sounds good. thanks..lolit
You add it at the end, about 5 minutes before the whole dish is done and cover the pot after putting it in. I turn off the heat just before my dish is ready, cover it and allow the residual heat to do the rest of the job. It works great for me and you’re never left with an overcooked pot of veggies.
[...] Mine started off with a vegetarian squash, longbeans and coconut milk stew. Actually, I’ve featured this same Guinataang Sitaw and Kalabasa recipe in the past but the pot looked so invitingly good that day, I took another photo to show off here. There is a slight variation though – can you spot it? The only difference with the first recipe and this one was the addition of squash tops. As I’d mentioned in another post, the monster squash vines have been growing in the yard. This was the same day the laundrywoman came to tend the garden and she took a snip of some squash tops which, unlike in the past when I had to run to my mother with a bunch of them for her to prepare, I did all the prep work this time. Of course, it was just a handful so it didn’t require Olympian efforts at all… « Sweets for the Sweet | [...]
I’m not really a good fan of alugbati but I have come to associate the taste with silverbeet. If it’s available in the from where you are, you might want to try it as substitute for alugbati
found this one while searching for how to cook guinataan kalabasa. Just bought today a piece of a fresh looking squash from a Turkish shop…don’t have alugbati nor shrimp paste but patis and dried shrimps. Hopefully it will cook well…will just put loads of spicy stuffs. Thanks
Yummy…I really love anything with coconut milk.