Hello everyone! Sharing with you one of our favorite main dishes in our family (well except for Achi who is allergic to shrimps) — Ginataang Hipon with Sitaw and Kalabasa. This is a budget stretch meal that provides not just more than enough viand for everyone, but also overflows in nutrients.

Stretching the Budget

Please note that I did not label this dish as BUDGET MEAL since it is not — Shrimps are as expensive as Beef at around 450 per kilograms. BUT If you will add squash and string beans, and lots of yummy coconut milk, then this Ulam can feed a family of five with just half a kilo (or even a bit) of shrimps!

Apart from its nutrition content, it is also very delicious! Shobe, Papi and I could eat the ulam for two straight days! Yay! Of course you should make sure to immediately refrigerate the left-overs since coconut milk spoils easily.

Easy to cook

Another advantage of cooking this meal is that it is easy to cook, and has a relatively short cooking time. What takes time is the cleaning of the shrimp. Yes, supermarket bought shrimps may have less “whiskers,” but I still remove the sharp antennae on the head, and I devein each piece.

I usually devein by using a toothpick or barbecue stick, inserting it on the fourth or third section of the shrimp’s spine, and cautiously removing the black veins until I successfully get everything off. It takes a bit of time to perfect this move, but every mom can learn right? Good thing this dish does not require peeling of shrimps or else it would have taken much longer to prepare hahaha

Ginataang hipon with sitaw and kalabasa recipe

So without further ado, here’s the recipe for the Ginataang hipon with sitaw and kalabasa (Shrimps with squash and string beans in coconut milk):

1. Saute onion, garlic, and ginger.

2. Add the kalabasa and the sitaw.

3. Add the coconut milk and half chicken cubes.

4. Simmer untll the vegetables are fork-tender.
5. Add the shrimps and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the shrimps are fully cooked.
6. Add peppers and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately!

I think you can also use alimasag for this recipe, or even mud crabs. You just need of course to chop it into quarters.

Food for the soul

At this point, I hope you can also allow me to share with you one of my favorite bible passages, this time from the First Epistle of St. John:

 “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels al fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.” 1 John 4:18

Thank you for stopping by and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

https://happypinaymommy.com/2023/05/12/visiting-an-old-fish-pet-shop/