Ginataang kalabasa at sitaw (squash and long beans in coconut milk with shrimp)
40 min · 28 g protein · 489 cals / serving
A Filipino weeknight favourite: chunks of sweet squash simmered in coconut milk with ginger and garlic until some of them melt into a creamy, golden sauce, then long beans and plump shrimp cooked in at the end. Mild, savoury and a little sweet, with a gentle warmth from green chilli. Spoon it over steamed rice.
Ingredients
Ginataan
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb-size piece ginger, in thin matchsticks
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash, kabocha or butternut, peeled, in 2.5 cm (1-inch) cubes
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 can (13.5 oz) light coconut milk
- 4 tsp fish sauce, or 1 tbsp bagoong (shrimp paste)
- 2 long green chillies green chili peppers, left whole
- 2 cups yardlong beans, or green beans, in 5 cm (2-inch) pieces
- 1 lb 2 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
- a few grinds black pepper
To serve
- 1 cup jasmine rice, steamed
Steps
- Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic and ginger 3 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Add the squash and water, cover and simmer 6–8 minutes, until the squash is just tender at the edges.
- Pour in the coconut milk, add the fish sauce and whole chillies, and simmer uncovered 5 minutes, until the squash is soft enough to crush. Mash a few pieces against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon so the sauce turns thick and golden.
- Add the long beans and simmer 4–5 minutes, until bright green and tender-crisp.
- Add the shrimp and simmer 2–3 minutes, stirring gently, until pink and opaque all the way through (145°F). Season with pepper and taste for salt; add a little more fish sauce if it needs it.
- Serve hot over steamed rice.
Good to know
Can I use full-fat coconut milk?
Yes, and it is richer and silkier, which is how many lolas make it. With a can of regular coconut milk the dish scores about 49 instead of 64.
Kabocha, kalabasa or butternut?
Filipino kalabasa is closest to kabocha, whose skin softens enough to leave on. Butternut is easier to find and just as sweet; peel it.
Can I use pork instead of shrimp?
Yes, thin strips of pork browned at the start are just as traditional. With lean pork loin, cooked through to 145°F, it scores about 57 instead of 64.
Per
- Calories
- 80
- Protein
- (23%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (21%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (56%)
- 12 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 139 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1955 kcal goes into the pot and 2251 g of ingredients comes out as about 2450 g of food: 80 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.