Got Coconut Milk? Make Ginataang Gulay, a Cozy Filipino Vegetable Stew

There’s nothing like a warm comfort meal to enjoy in this cold weather. Ginataang gulay is a traditional Filipino dish cooked with coconut milk. It’s a type of vegetable stew containing sweet potato, Japanese eggplant, and other delicious veggies. “Gulay” means “vegetable,” and “ginataang” means “cooked with coconut milk.” Below, you can find the recipe and some tips on how to make the dish taste amazing.

Useful Tips and Tricks

Coconut milk can be frozen for up to three months. You can even pour it into ice cube trays and defrost when you need to use it. As for the vegetables, you can substitute the ones from the recipe with your favorite seasonal ones. For example, if you prefer a slightly sweeter potato, you can use regular sweet potatoes instead of Japanese ones.

You can add shrimp or chicken if you want to give the dish some protein. Don’t forget that you can store the vegetable stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Now, let’s get started!

How to Make the Coconut Milk Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

• 4 oz haricots verts, halved crosswise (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons (about 3 cups)
• 3 medium Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons (3 cups)
• 1 lb sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 (13.6 oz) cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 (5 oz) package baby spinach
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro, plus cilantro leaves for garnish
• 1/4 c chopped fresh mint, plus mint leaves for garnish
• 1/4 c thinly sliced scallions
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
• 1 tsp sambal oelek or chile paste
• Cooked jasmine rice and lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the vegetables separately in this order: haricots verts, zucchini, eggplant, and sweet potato. You want to make sure they are almost al dente, 1 minute and 30 seconds for haricots verts, 2 to 3 minutes for zucchini and eggplant, and 6 to 8 minutes for sweet potatoes. Once you get the desired texture, drain the vegetables and put them on a baking sheet.
2. Heat oil over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, ginger, salt, and black pepper. Stir occasionally for about 5-6 minutes until they soften.
3. Now it’s time to add the coconut milk. Stir it in and boil over medium-high. Add the spinach and cook until it shrinks.
4. Then, add the vegetables from the baking sheet and simmer over medium. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro, mint, scallions, lime juice, and sambal oelek. Mix it all together and season with some salt and black pepper. Serve with jasmine rice and lime wedges.