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Finally, in honor of my new Filipino cookbook, Kulinarya, I decided to make ginaatang kalabasa at sitaw, a coconut milk stew of buttercup squash, green beans and shrimp with ginger. 

It was incredibly easy to make — I had no idea it only took 5 minutes for squash to cook (I thought it would take FOREVER, like potatoes do). The only tricky part was making the homemade shrimp stock, but it turned out easier than I thought. 

I grew up eating this with my gramma, and as a kid, I didn’t like it too much. But now as an adult, I love it — and so will you. Recipe follows. 

RECIPE:

 

2 tomatoes
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1/2 unpeeled shrimp with head on
2 handfuls green string beans
1/2 buttercup squash
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 tbs. fish sauce
1 small piece of ginger

TOOLS: blender

Peel the shrimp and take off its little head. Do not discard. Take the skin and head and put it into a small pot. Add enough water to cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour it into a blender and grind. Press this mixture through a sieve and set aside.

Chop tomatoes, slice onions into thin pieces, smash and mince garlic. Chop the squash into bite-sized cubes. Trim the beans. Cut the ginger into sticks, about 1/2 cm in diameter. 

Saute garlic and onions in regular cooking oil, and when it’s translucent, add the tomatoes and cook for two minutes. 

Add in shrimp broth and green string beans. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. 

Add in the coconut milk and squash. Simmer for another 10 minutes, or whenever the squash is cooked. Add the shrimp, fish sauce and cook until the shrimp is orange. Season to taste. 

Serve over freshly steamed rice.