Photo and story (moi) by Glory Moralidad, from my blog You Create Iloilo

Laswa is a healthy vegetable dish that is native to Iloilo. Not only is it rich in flavor, but it also contains various nutritious ingredients such as squash, eggplant, alugbati, and others. It’s delightful to have during any time of day as an accompaniment to your meal. To make it even more appetizing, you can add shrimps.

The dish consists of thinly sliced squash and root vegetables cooked in fish sauce (sometimes bagoong) or vegetable broth, depending on your preference. It is typically cooked in your typical Ilonggo home - karinderias, roadside eateries throughout the province and city.

If you ask me ~ I prefer my laswa all in vegetables.

• Preparation time: 10 minutes

• Cooking time: 16 minutes

• Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 8 shrimp, cleaned

• 2 Chinese eggplant, sliced

• 1 1/2 cups squash, diced

• 15 string beans, sliced into 2-inch pieces

• 1 cup saluyot leaves

• 2 cups alugbati

• 1 cup Amaranth leaves (kulitis)

• 8 okras

• 2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges

• 1 onion, sliced into wedges

• 2 tsp bagoong alamang or guinamos

• 5 cups water

• Salt & ground black pepper, as needed

Directions:

1. Pour the water into a large skillet and let it boil. Add onion plus tomato, cover, and let it boil within 5 minutes over medium heat.

2. Add the squash plus bagoong alamang and cook within 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, string beans, plus okra, and cook within 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp, cover, and cook within 1 minute. Add the saluyot, amaranth leaves, plus alugbati, and stir well—season with salt plus ground black pepper as needed. Serve!

Nutrition: Calories: 132; Carbs: 23g; Fat: 1g; Protein: 8g

Traditionally made with black sesame seeds, or til, this humble ingredient holds deep cultural and spiritual value. Sesame symbolizes prosperity and purity, and it is often used in religious offerings during festivals like Magh Bihu, when sesame-based sweets such as til pitha and til laru are prepared to mark new beginnings.

When paired with tender local chicken, sesame brings a nutty richness and a deep, roasted warmth that mirrors the region’s rustic culinary wisdom. It also represents the Assamese preference for dishes that are not overly spicy but rich in natural taste, relying on ingredients like ginger, garlic, and green chilies to enhance rather than overpower.

This curry is often prepared during family gatherings, winter months, or after the harvest season, when sesame is freshly available. It connects people to the land, its fertile soil, golden harvests, and the timeless rhythm of ancestral kitchens.

3 cups flour

1 cup cream

(Mix to make a dough)

Roll into a flat square

Cover in butter, Vegemite and grated cheese.

Roll into a log then slice into a pin wheel

Bake at 180C for 20 mins

Enjoy

I love this food, it one of the best that you can find in Latin America, if you go to Peru you can try it!