For years, I used brown and sweet bagoong (shrimp paste) for pakbet, kare-kare, and binagoongan, as dipping condiment to the likes of nilaga and sinigang, and even as toppings to unripe mangoes. For some reason, my sister likes it and sends me jars of it when we were still based in Beijing. So just imagine how ecstatic I was to see pink bagoong at the Asian dairy. Pardon me but I just love this type – salty and no trace of sugar. Para sa akin ito ang tunay na bagoong alamang. Yung palengkeng bagoong na binibili sa tabi-tabi ng nanay ko. (I just couldn’t figure out why bagoong has to be sweet.) So I bought a jar and cooked pork binagoongan right away. My recipe here is really pretty basic.
Binagoongan (Sauteed Pork in Shrimp Paste)
Author: Iska
Recipe type: Appetizer
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
500g- 1kilo chunks of pork with fat
Minced garlic
Bagoong or alamang (shrimp paste)
Instructions
Over low heat, cook pork in its own juice until it renders fat and the meat is brownish.
Throw in garlic and saute in pork fat until aromatic.
Add in as much bagoong as you like and cook over low to medium heat until the mixture dries up.
Notes
Great with plain rice and steamed kangkong. Yummy!
Sometimes, I saute it with tomatoes and onions and add a dash of pepper. Add green chili for added zing. Or a little vinegar to spice it up. It's really all up to you.
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.
My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.
Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.
8 thoughts on “Binagoongan (Sauteed Pork in Shrimp Paste)”
Your recipe is so simple! How do you make it appear so? I’ll probably burn everything. Haha!
Iska, I’d like to invite you to a contest I’m sharing on my blog. I’m giving away a book and a couple of journals. If you’re interested, I hope you could check it out.
I think that its best to use pata for binagoongan. The ligaments adds texture and the cartilidge adds a distinct taste… Also, Try adding chopped chili tp spice things up.
yum!!! nakakagutom. sarap naman.
RoseLLe (Reflexes)s last blog post..LP8: Water (Tubig)
Your recipe is so simple! How do you make it appear so? I’ll probably burn everything. Haha!
Iska, I’d like to invite you to a contest I’m sharing on my blog. I’m giving away a book and a couple of journals. If you’re interested, I hope you could check it out.
http://wifelysteps.com/2008/05/19/celebrate-5-years-with-wifely-steps/
Thank you!
tonis last blog post..The 2008 Philippine Blog Awards
oh yumm! ang tagal na din since nagluto ako ng binagoongan. Ginutom tuloy ako
JMoms last blog post..Thai Inspired Noodles
I think that its best to use pata for binagoongan. The ligaments adds texture and the cartilidge adds a distinct taste… Also, Try adding chopped chili tp spice things up.
This is fairly easy to do, what with little ingredients. I will definitely try cooking it this weekend. If only I can find that pink bagoong!
it is very delicious….i luv it….
– Ellayne