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Dinengdeng
Vegetables in fish sauce broth
Dinengdeng: Ilocos vegetables simmered in a light bagoong broth and topped with grilled fish
Dinengdeng is the everyday soup of the Ilocos region in the northern Philippines, made from whatever the backyard gives that day: squash and its flowers, string beans, okra, aubergine and moringa leaves, simmered briefly in water seasoned with bagoong (fermented fish sauce) and crowned with a piece of grilled fish. It is thin, savoury and green-tasting, and meant to be eaten with rice. A bowl has about 15 g of protein from the fish and vegetables, so it is a light meal rather than a high-protein one. The common mistake is putting all the vegetables in at once: add them hardest first so the leaves stay bright. Chef's tip: strain the bagoong into the pot through a sieve, so you get its flavour without the bones and grit.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 small whole tilapia or mackerelabout 500 g together, cleaned
- ½ tsp salt
- 1.2 litres water
- 1 ⅛ in gingersliced
- 1 onionsliced
- 2 tomatoesquartered
- 10 ½ oz squash or pumpkinpeeled, cut into chunks
- 5 ½ oz string beans or long beanscut into 5 cm lengths
- 8 okra
- 1 long auberginecut into chunks
- 2 handfuls moringa or spinach leaves
- 8 squash flowers (optional)stems and stamens removed
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 2 small whole tilapia or mackerel with ½ tsp salt and grill or pan-fry until the skin is charred and the flesh at the backbone is opaque and flakes, 5–6 minutes a side. Set aside.
12 minStep 2: Bring 1.2 litres water to the boil with 1 ⅛ in ginger, 1 onion and 2 tomatoes. Press 3 tbsp bagoong isda or monamon (fermented fish sauce) through a sieve into the pot and stir. Simmer 5 minutes.
6 minStep 3: Add 10 ½ oz squash or pumpkin and cook 5 minutes, until just tender at the edges.
5 minStep 4: Add 5 ½ oz string beans or long beans, 8 okra and 1 long aubergine and simmer 4–5 minutes, until the beans are bright and the aubergine soft.
5 minStep 5: Add 2 handfuls moringa or spinach leaves and 8 squash flowers, turn off the heat and let them wilt for 1 minute. Taste and add a little more bagoong if needed.
Step 6: Ladle into bowls and lay the grilled fish, in pieces, on top. Eat with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dinengdeng take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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