Laswa (Laswa)
Overview
Laswa is a simple vegetable soup from the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, especially Iloilo. Water is brought to the boil with sliced onion, garlic and tomato, and a little shrimp paste or fish sauce, called bagoong or patis, gives it a savoury base. A mix of local vegetables is added in order of cooking time: kalabasa squash, string beans, okra, eggplant and bitter melon tips, then leafy greens such as alugbati, jute leaves and saluyot. Small shrimp are added at the end. The okra and leaves make the broth slightly silky. It is eaten with rice and fried or grilled fish.
History
Laswa is a home dish of the Hiligaynon-speaking Ilonggo people, cooked from the vegetables of the backyard garden and the morning market. It is valued as healthy, cheap food and is often compared with dinengdeng and bulanglang, the vegetable soups of other Philippine regions. Ilonggos who live elsewhere often say it is one of the dishes they miss most from home.
Main ingredients
Okra, squash, string beans, eggplant, jute leaves, shrimp. The soup is built on light shrimp broth and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
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Recipe
Method
- 1
Bring 1.2 l water to the boil with the onion, garlic, tomato and shrimp paste.
- 25 min
Add the squash and cook for 5 minutes.
- 35 min
Add the string beans, okra and eggplant and cook for 5 minutes more.
- 42 min
Add the shrimp and leaves and cook for 2 minutes.
- 5
Season and serve hot with rice and fried fish.
- ✓
Serve. About 35 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
