Bagoong Mania

My friend Maan just sent me a message: "Just got a batch of bagoong from Pangasinan and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it..." The first thing that came to my mind? Bagoong rice! And Binagoongang Baboy... And Pakbet with Lechon Kawali or Crispy Liempo on top... (This entry is giving me a coronary!)

A few months back, another friend sent me this IM: "Paano mag binagoongang baboy? Hehe. Nag-volunteer ako mag-cook..." She was in Japan then, for a short mission trip, when she suddenly had the urge to pitch in. (Of course, her Filipino hosts were only too happy to let her. I would miss binagoongan if I were in Japan!)

What is it with bagoong that we cannot live without it? Why, Kare-kare lacks flavor in the absence of bagoong! Some Filipinos consider it as our very own caviar. It stinks like rotting cheese (or sometimes worse!) but we just love to eat it.

Bagoong comes in different forms, depending upon which province it came from. For the Tagalogs, bagoong is the alamang or shrimp fry paste. For the people up North, bagoong is murky and runny, with parts of fermented fish settling at the bottom of bottles. Bagoong Balayan looks like the Ilocos and Pangasinan bagoong, which when fermented longer produces patis, a clear amber liquid that is a popular dipping sauce found on every Filipino dining table. The Visayan guinamos is darker than the alamang, and dry and is usually sold in blocks or slabs.

Some use the bagoong as the main viand. Some use it in cooking vegetables. Others use it to complement other dishes, while there are those who use it as dip for grilled fish. But no matter how we Filipinos use it, the bagoong will never go out of style. In fact, it changes with the times.

When I was little, bagoong only meant salty. Now there's sweet, sweet and spicy, spicy, extra hot, boneless, bottled, canned... Some even come in doy packs or standing pouches.

And so as a tribute to the versatile bagoong, let me share with you the Binagoongang Baboy recipe I sent my friend in Japan.

Binagoongang Baboy

• 1 kilo pork with fat, cut into chunks
• 2 cups bagoong alamang
• 1 head of garlic, minced
• 1 big onion, minced
• 4 pieces tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
• 4 chili peppers, minced
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water

In a casserole, boil pork chunks in water over low fire until water evaporates and pork fat is rendered. Brown the pork slightly and set aside. Saute garlic, onion, tomatoes and chili peppers in the pork fat. Stir in the pork. Add bagoong and stir for about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer without stirring. Add the sugar and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.