Laswa is a healthy vegetable dish that is native to Iloilo. Not only is it rich in flavor, but it also contains various nutritious ingredients such as squash, eggplant, alugbati, and others. It’s delightful to have during any time of day as an accompaniment to your meal. To make it even more appetizing, you can add shrimps or crabs to the mix.
Variations of the recipe include all vegetables, thus adding to its versatility and appeal to vegan diners. The dish consists of thinly sliced squash and root vegetables cooked in fish sauce (sometimes bagoong) or vegetable broth, depending on the chef’s preference. It is typically found in karinderias, roadside eateries popular throughout the Philippines.
We prefer our laswa in all vegetables!
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 16 minutes
- Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 8 shrimp, cleaned
- 2 Chinese eggplant, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups squash, diced
- 15 string beans, sliced into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup saluyot leaves
- 2 cups alugbati
- 1 cup Amaranth leaves (kulitis)
- 8 okras
- 2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges
- 1 onion, sliced into wedges
- 2 tsp bagoong alamang or guinamos
- 5 cups water
- Salt & ground black pepper, as needed
Directions:
- Pour the water into a large skillet and let it boil. Add onion plus tomato, cover, and let it boil within 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the squash plus bagoong alamang and cook within 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, string beans, plus okra, and cook within 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp, cover, and cook within 1 minute. Add the saluyot, amaranth leaves, plus alugbati, and stir well—season with salt plus ground black pepper as needed. Serve!
Nutrition: Calories: 132; Carbs: 23g; Fat: 1g; Protein: 8g
