These days, it might get pretty difficult to get ahold of healthy food from outside. Whether it’s the convenience of fast food chains or the general popularity of oily, fried meals, you might find yourself running out of options with regards to nutritious vegetable dishes. And even if you do end up finding vegetable meals you could order in, the freshness of the produce used can also be left to suspicion. That, and organic dishes are not often the cheapest choices in the market either. What, then, is the best option? I’d say, you could just make some of the most delicious, yet healthy dishes from home! And a great recipe to start with is the simple, yet tasty Ilonggo dish, Laswa.
Context on the classic vegetable soup, Laswa:
Laswa is essentially a boiled vegetable soup of the most varied, but harmonious set of ingredients. This actually originated in Iloilo, and it is often compared to another vegetable-filled soup dish called Dinengdeng. Both use heaps of vegetables to complete the dish. And some versions of Laswa also make use of bagoong. But Dinengdeng contains less vegetables, and is actually from Ilocos. Laswa ingredients, meanwhile, rely mainly on the vegetables, themselves to provide the flavor and texture.
With this, we are able to get a refreshingly savory, but mild taste from an ever comforting bowl of Laswa. But other than its taste and nutritional value, a perk of this recipe is its accessibility. Because it mostly uses ingredients we already often use in other Filipino dishes, it can be pretty easy to whip up in the kitchen. That, and the components it requires are very affordable.
It’s also a pretty flexible dish. This is because it is known to welcome other added vegetables you’d like to integrate with open arms. Because of its simplicity, you are able to also cutomize it as you would want to without compromising on flavor. And so I don’t know about you, but this talk about Laswa definitely makes me want to create some for myself. Let’s begin making some in the kitchen!
How to cook Laswa:
Start by pouring 5 cups of water into a cooking pot, and then boil this. Afterwards, you’ll be integrating 1 onion and 2 tomatoes, both of which you’ve cut into wedges. Then place your cover on top so we can let it boil for 5 minutes. Make sure that you are using medium heat for this step.
Now place 1 ½ cups of diced kalabasa squash, as well as 2 teaspoons of bagoong alamang or guinamos in the pot. Once again, we will be letting this boil for 5 minutes, as this provides much needed time for the flavors to sink in and make a delicious broth. Now we’ll put some more of our tasty vegetables, including 2 pieces of Chinese eggplant that are sliced. Also add 15 pieces of string beans that you’ve cut up so they are 2 inches long, as well as 8 pieces of okra. Once we’ve brought all of these to the pot, we can let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Bringing in some protein by adding shrimp to the dish:
It’s time to integrate some of that semi-sweet, delicious seafood flavor by placing 8 pieces of cleaned shrimp in the pot. Put the cover on top to keep the heat inside, and wait for this to cook for 1 minute. Then after this, you can go ahead and add 1 cup of saluyot leaves, 1 cup of Amaranth leaves or Kulitis, and 2 cups of alugbati. Stir these together thoroughly.
And for the last touch, we will be seasoning the soup with some salt and ground black pepper. Feel free to put as much as you’d prefer for this dish. This would also be great with some fried fish on the side!
Wasn’t that an ease to execute? This recipe truly is great, as it mainly involves putting together a bunch of nutritious vegetables in one pot to create the best flavor. What if I introduce you to a couple more yummy vegetable dishes to serve to the family?
Here are some other healthy vegetable recipes I’d challenge you to try:
Dinengdeng
This dish, sometimes mistaken for Laswa, is a vegetable stew that you definitely can’t ignore either. Dinengdeng possesses all the rich flavors of ampalaya, bagoong isda, ginger, and onions. And not only that, as it also makes for quite a hearty and healthy lunch, as it’s got the protein in grilled milk fish or bangus without the fat content of meat. Try making this dish or a family or party of 6, and you’ll find yourself going in for more! But you won’t have to feel guilty about surrendering to your cravings, as this is filled with nutrients that are great for your body.
Easy Grilled Vegetables
Perhaps if you have less time on your plate, you’d think that a vegetable dish is not longer an option. But these Easy Grilled Vegetables surely prove that you can make something quick, delicious and nutritious right from your kitchen! With an estimated 15 minutes of prep and cook time, you’d be able to whip this up swiftly, and with some time to spare for dessert. And even if it takes less time to make, it’s still a mighty tasty dish with some savory zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers and more.
What about you—what happens to be your favorite vegetable dish? Let me know in the comments! And feel free to type in any questions you might have here as well.
Laswa Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 pieces shrimp cleaned
- 2 pieces Chinese eggplant sliced
- 1 1/2 cups kalabasa squash diced
- 15 pieces string beans cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup saluyot leaves
- 2 cups alugbati
- 1 cup Amaranth leaves (kulitis)
- 8 pieces okra
- 2 pieces tomato wedged
- 1 piece onion wedged
- 2 teaspoons bagoong alamang or guinamos
- 5 cups water
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil water in a cooking pot.
- Add onion and tomato. Cover and boil for 5 minutes using medium heat.
- Add kalabasa and bagoong alamang. Boil for 5 minutes.
- Add eggplant, string beans, and okra. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Put shrimp into the pot. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
- Add saluyot, amaranth leaves (kulitis), and alugbati. Stir.
- Season with salt and ground black pepper. Serve with fried fish on the side. Share and enjoy!
Jing perilla says
My family loved it! Even my kids ate.
joydizon says
if your allergy of shrimp you can put smoked fish or grilled fish instead
Archie says
So it is actually just like pakbet with soup.
Gonna try this one. Thnk you
Totoy Badiola says
According to your instruction, cooking time adds up to 15 min and not 25 min. What should happen in the missing 10 min?
Vanjo Merano says
Adding all the indicated minutes for each step represent some or most of the cooking time. However, you want to also add steps suggests cooking indirectly in which time may vary. Step 1 (boil the water) can easily be that missing 10 minutes more or less, along with the others such as adding salt and pepper and stirring.
airyn says
love it!
Laurie B. says
Thank you for this recipe. I was craving it and it turned out delicious!
lowellrublico says
This is really a delicious and less expensive yet very nutritious recipe.
msJojo says
Thank you for this recipe. Just discovered your site — I’m an instant fan!
I am a child of God says
Thank You for this recipes and this is so helpful for everyone.
Sassygirl876 says
This is my favorite ilonggo dish! You can also use malunggay instead of alogbate or saluyot. Shld eat with fried fish on the side!