• Description

Vernacular Names: kamote, kaong

Parts utilized as vegetable and availability: shoots, enlarged roots

Habitat: homegarden, field, riverbank, garden, mountain

Availability: all year round

Other uses: leaves are fed to pigs

Dishes:salad, cooked with meat, inabraw, sinigang, cooked with mungbean

Dinengdeng na Alokon-Patani at Malunggay

Ingredients

• 1 cup alokon spikes/catkin (Broussonetia luzonica), washed
• 5 pcs malunggay pods or bunga (Moringa oleifera), peeled and cut into lengths of about 5 cm
• 1 piece sweetpotato or camote root, cubed (Ipomoea batatas)
• 1/2 cup patani seeds (Phaseolus lunatus), washed
• 4 pieces medium tomatoes or kamatis, sliced
• 2-3 tbsp fish paste (bagoong)

Procedure

1. Put all ingredients into a pot
2. Add enough water to cover the ingredients and bring to a boil
3. Drizzle with fish paste to taste when almost done

Traditional Pinakbet

(Shriveled Sauteed Mixed Vegetables)
Elvis Niño Pidut, Brgy. Mabusang Sur, Badoc, Ilocos Norte

Ingredients

• 1 pc medium sweetpotato or kaong/camote roots, peeled and cubed (Ipomoea batatas)
• ½ cup cowpeas or utong (Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata)
• 1 pc medium native eggplant or tarong, cubed (Solanum melongena)
• 6-8 pcs native bittergourd or parya, whole round fruits (Momordica charantia)
• ½ cup hyacinth bean or parda (Lablab purpureus)
• ½ cup pigeon pea or kardis (Cajanus cajan)
• ½ cup radish pods/fruits or rabanos (Raphanus sativus)
• 1 pc medium bulb onion or sibuyas, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic or bawang, crushed
• 10-12 tomatoes or kamatis, sliced and the pulp squeezed so that the juices come out
• 3-4 tbsp fish paste or bagoong
• Chilli or siling espada or siling pansigang

Procedure

1. In a bowl, arrange the vegetables in layers, distributing the tomatoes (pulp, seeds and juices included) between layers. Top with a final layer of tomatoes.
2. Mix a bit of water with bagoong and drizzle the mixture over the vegetable layers.
3. Cook over low heat.
4. As the vegetables boil, shake the pot a little to allow vegetables and juices to mix.
5. Cover and cook for a bit more.

Note: Pinakbet means “pinakulbet”, an Ilocano term, and “pinakubet/kulubot” in Tagalog, meaning shriveled. The acidity of the tomatoes shrivel the pinakbet vegetables. Tomatoes also neutralize or temper the saltiness of the bagoong.

Dinengdeng

(Mixed Vegetables Stew)
Elvis Niño Pidut, Brgy. Mabusag Sur, Badoc, Illocos Norte

Ingredients

• 4-6 horse radish pods or bunga ti marunggay, peeled and cut into 6-cm lengths (Moringa oleifera)
• 1 pc medium sweetpotato or kaong (camote) fleshy root, peeled and cubed (Ipomoea batatas)
• 2-3 pcs medium tomatoes or kamatis
• 2-3 tbsp fish paste or bagoong

Procedure

1. Boil sweetpotato cubes in water.
2. Mash sweetpotato cubes and season with bagoong.
3. Add marunggay pod pieces.
4. Boil until soup thickens.

Note: ?photo