Vegetables Stewed in Fermented Shrimp Paste

You don’t need a lot of seasonings when ingredients are fresh. So this dish is intentionally simple, the better to showcase the natural bounty. Each vegetable plays a necessary role, from the long beans, crunchy and squeaking, to the bitter melon with its grown-up bite. There’s not too much of any one thing, so you can appreciate and anticipate each part.

All it takes to draw out the flavors is a little garlic, salt, and above all bagoong—a satisfyingly funky paste of fermented shri