Patola is a tagalog term for sponge gourd or luffa. It is a common vegetable in the Philippines which is easy to plant and grow.
Sinigang sa patola or pork gourd stew is not another typical stew, a classic sinigang usually have okra, beans, taro (gabi) and spinach (kangkong). I never thought before that patola could be delicious when added to a mixture of sinigang (stew ) I realized it when I tasted my dad's pork gourd sinigang recipe. My dad has so many patola plants in the backyard. It was the day after the storm and the price of vegetables became so expensive that it was not so practical to cook sinigang complete with vegetables. That was the time when my dad cooked a very delicious sinigang with patola.Dad made it so delicious that even my picky eater kids loved it so much. Since then, I've done this recipe regularly. I just add okra and I already have a yummy stew served in my family. Don't underestimate patola, because it has many health benefits like: it is rich in Vitamin D, E, B-6, magnesium, fiber, folate, and niacin. Patola is low in calories and is rich in pro-vitamin A, vitamin C and beta-carotene which are very essential in achieving healthy vision, tissue and skin It is also a good source of zinc, copper, calcium, iron and thiamin and riboflavin.
Ingredients of Pork Sinigang with Patola:
- 1 kg. pork (liempo)
- 2 pcs. tomatoes
- 1 big onion
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 whole large patola
- 5 pcs. okra
- 1 siling haba (green pepper)
- 2 tbsp oil
- On a casserole, saute onion and tomato
- Add Pork (chopped)
- add seasoning
- add green pepper
- Cover the casserole and let it boil for 20 minutes
- When you think you've achieved the pork's tenderness you can now add the patola (gourd or luffa).
- Again, cover the casserole and let it boil for another 10 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning if needed
- Serve hot with rice.