Ginataang Kalabasa Na May Pork Giniling At Hipon

Marhay na aldaw! (That’s Good day in Bicol.) How was your past week? Maybe fun? Perhaps tiring but exciting, or probably gratifying though full. It may have been a complete set of emotions you felt, so you also deserve a complete meal— that is, complete with vegetable (or fruit)*, pork and shrimp!

If you’ve browsed through our recipes, you might have already checked our Vegetable Recipes, Pork Recipes, and Shrimp Recipes. But today we’re teaching you something a little more special than all three of those, because this is a 3-in-1 dish! It’s Ginataang Kalabasa with Pork Giniling and Shrimp! Excited to try? Come, read along and we’ll teach you how to cook it!

Background

Filipinos love eating dishes with coconut milk. Personally in love with Filipino native cuisine, we have already introduced a few dishes here in Kusinang Bicolana, which included coconut milk as an ingredient. Some are Special Bicol Express, Pork Belly Dinuguan with Gata, Ginataang Kinunot na Pagi and Chicken Bicol Express. Needless to say, this ingredient makes food creamier! Plus, it perfectly complements with almost everything! Not only that, do you know that gata (coconut milk) contains protein and iron? Yes, it does!

Other ingredients of Ginataang Kalabasa with Pork Giniling and Shrimp have significant nutritional value, too. Squash is mainly good for the vision, pork is a source of protein, and shrimp is said to improve brain health.

Talk about “complete,” this dish is not only bursting with flavor, but also packed with health benefits for you and your family!

Is squash a fruit or vegetable?

Although we’re using it as a vegetable in this dish (and many other worldwide), like tomatoes, eggplants and even coconut, squash is botanically a fruit! (If you got surprised, we’re on the same page; I got surprised, too!) 

Which squash should you buy?

There’s usually many vendors selling squash in the public market (even along the streets if you’re in the province). It’s also often a bounty in mall supermarkets. Since you have a choice, better buy the ones still with green peel. These contain, more often than not, flesh that is yellow, meaning this produce is still young. Those with brown ones are not only harder to peel, but also tough on the inside.

Cooking Tips 

• Desirable cut of the squash is 1 ½ to 2 inches— neither too small to easily be overcooked nor too big to take long cooking.
• If you want to cook for more members of the family, but lack a big quantity of the other ingredients, you can add sitaw (Baguio beans/ string beans) into this dish, too.

Getting you hungry, let’s get cooking!

Ready for a full stomach after all the cooking! Now, if you prefer visuals in instructions check out the video below:

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in some of our classic recipes:

• Sinigang Na Ulo Ng Salmon
• Tuna Head Paksiw sa gata
• Garlic Rice with Sweet Pork Ham
• Homemade Pasta with Century Tuna
• Crispy Fried Chicken Legs

Watch the video below where we walk you through every step of this recipe. Check out our collection of recipes on Youtube, Facebook or on our Instagram.

More Kusina Recipes