Ginataang Gulay (Vegetables in Coconut Milk)
Squash, string beans, and leafy greens simmered in coconut milk with ginger and shrimp. A creamy, naturally pork-free Filipino vegetable dish.
Ingredients
- 500 g kalabasa (kabocha or butternut squash), peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 1 bunch sitaw (long string beans), cut into 5 cm lengths
- 2 cups loosely packed malunggay leaves or spinach
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (the thick top layer of a second can, or kakang gata)
- 1 thumb ginger, julienned
- 1 onion, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 250 g medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional; or 300 g firm tofu, cubed and pan-fried)
- 2 tbsp patis (fish sauce), plus more to taste
- 1 to 2 finger chilies (siling haba), left whole
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Cook the ginger, onion, and garlic until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown.
- Pour in the coconut milk (not the thick cream yet) and bring to a gentle simmer. Keep it at a lazy bubble so it does not curdle.
- Add the kalabasa and the whole chilies. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the squash is just starting to soften at the edges.
- Add the sitaw and season with the patis. Simmer another 5 minutes until the beans are bright green and crisp-tender and the squash is fork-tender.
- If using shrimp, stir them in now and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they turn pink and curl. If using tofu, add the pan-fried cubes here to warm through.
- Pour in the coconut cream and simmer gently for 2 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Taste and adjust with more patis, salt, or pepper.
- Fold in the malunggay or spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and serve hot with steamed rice.
Ginataang gulay is the everyday Filipino way to turn a handful of vegetables into a full, satisfying meal. Sweet kalabasa and long string beans soften into creamy coconut milk, ginger cuts the richness, and a little patis rounds everything out. It is home cooking at its most honest, the kind of pot that feeds a family from one or two market bundles.
Some versions of this dish are topped with crispy bagnet or chicharron, or started with pork cut into the aromatics. This one skips all of that. The coconut cream carries the body on its own, and shrimp or pan-fried tofu gives you the protein without a single pig-derived ingredient. Patis is fish sauce, so it stays fully pork-free.
Cook’s notes
- Keep the heat gentle. Hard boiling splits coconut milk into oil and grainy solids. A soft, steady simmer keeps the sauce smooth. Add the thick coconut cream only near the end for a glossy finish.
- Add greens last. Malunggay and spinach need only a minute. Stir them in off the heat if you like them barely wilted and still bright.
- Squash doneness. It is ready when a fork slides in with light resistance. Cut the chunks the same size so they cook evenly, and cook a shade less if you want them to hold their shape in leftovers.
- Vary the vegetables. Eggplant, okra, and jackfruit are all traditional here. Add firmer vegetables with the squash and quick-cooking ones with the beans.
- Make it ahead. The stew keeps for two days in the fridge and the flavor deepens overnight. Reheat gently over low heat and loosen with a splash of coconut milk or water. Add fresh greens when you reheat so they stay green.
For a coconut-forward seafood dinner on another night, try the bright fish escabeche, and keep the Filipino pantry guide handy for stocking gata, patis, and other staples. More pork-free classics live over at Ayoko ng Baboy.