Laswa / Ilonggo Vegetable Stew

Laswa is a clear vegetable soup that originated from our neighbor Iloilo City. Iloilo is a 45-minute ferry ride, and it’s one of the regions that speak the same vernacular as I do. Nobody can really say exactly how many languages the Philippines has, but it’s upwards of 120 and when I say “namit” my neighbors in Iloilo would be one of the folks to understand that it means yummy!

Laswa is a dish where you allow the natural flavors of the vegetables to shine on their own and carry the dish. You have your comfort food, and nourishing food – this dish belongs in the nourishing food category. When you make it you’ll understand why. It’s wholesome, it’s light, it’s healthy and it is oh so flavorful despite how simple it is to make. They key is in choosing fresh ingredients. I like to use wild caught shrimp for this, as it tends to be more flavorful the farmed shrimp. You can play around with the vegetables you use here – you can add some, or omit some. For instance, if you have patola (luffa/ sponge gourd), that’s a great ingredient to add. You can use kabocha squash instead of butternut squash too, however, I prefer butternut because of its sweet flavor.

Laswa / Ilonggo Vegetable Stew

Recipe by MadiCourse: Entree

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

7

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

190

kcal

Laswa: Vegging out never tasted so good!

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb wild caught, head on shrimp, cleaned

• 1 onion, halved and then quartered

• 2 tomatoes, big dice

• 2 stalks lemongrass, top trimmed, bottom pounded (to release the juices) and knotted.

• 2 cups butternut squash, diced

• 1 chinese eggplant, sliced

• 10 pcs okra, halved

• 10 string beans, cut into 2 inch pieces

• 1 cup saluyot/jute leaves

• 1 cup spinach

• 6 cups water

• salt and pepper

• For the brave (optional):

• 1 tsp shrimp paste (for the umami, and you won’t need to add a lot of salt)

Directions

• In a stock pot, heat the water.
• When it comes to a rolling boil, add the tomatoes, onions and lemongrass cover and let cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add the butternut squash. Cook covered for about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the string beans, eggplant and okra. Cook covered for about 3 minutes.
• Add the shrimp and shrimp paste if using. Cook covered for another 2-3 minutes until the shrimp has turned somewhat orange and vegetables are still firm but cooked through.
• Season with pepper to taste, add salt if necessary and turn off the heat.
• Add the greens – saluyot/jute leaves and spinach. Cover and let sit for 2 minutes allowing the heat of the laswa to cook the greens.
• Serve.

Notes

• I like to use wild caught shrimp for the flavor, it’s more potent than farm raised shrimp and it allows me not to use broth or shrimp paste.
• You can get rid of the lemongrass after cooking, as this is used for added flavor and aroma.
• Nutritional Information per serving: Calories: 190, Total Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.6g, Cholesterol: 105mg, Sodium: 200mg, Carbohydrates: 20g, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 5g, Protein: 24g
• _{**Note that these values are estimates and may vary depending on the exact ingredients and brands you use and amount of oil absorbed during frying. The dipping sauce is not included in this nutritional information.}