Leftovers Feast

Last night, after a meeting in Ortigas, we decided to make a quick stopover at the Nepa Q-Mart in Quezon City. It was already 10:00 PM, but Q-Mart was still awake. Truth be told, Q-Mart never sleeps. The market is what is known as a bagsakan, a depot for vegetable and fruit producers and traders. It is where retailers from other markets get their wares to sell in their respective municipalities.

I wasn't too keen on buying anything, until I spotted the pile of nice, green mangoes in a stall. All of a sudden, I had a craving for Bagoong Rice! So I bought a piece, and P20 worth of alamang guisado and dreamed of bagoong rice for lunch the following day (which, by the way, is actually today).

So, today, for lunch, I got my heart's desire. I made some Bagoong Rice, which although lacking in other ingredients, still tasted great.

Here's my "poor man's" version of this favorite Thai fare:

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tbsp alamang guisado
• 2 cups left-over rice
• leftover adobo, diced
• scrambled eggs, cut into long strips (mine was make-ahead, which was the result of me accidentally dropping 6 eggs! Luckily, they were in a banana-leaf lined plastic bag and did not spill on the floor.)
• half of a native (red) onion, chopped
• half a green mango, julienned (tip: use a melon grater to julienne green mangoes for Bagoong Rice)

Heat up oil, add alamang and saute a bit. Add left-over rice and stir fry to distribute alamang evenly. Add diced adobo and scrambled eggs. Continue stirring until rice is nicely fried. Add chopped onion, stir some more and remove from heat. Transfer into a plate; top with green mango before serving.

I ate this with bangus lumpia with sweet chili sauce. I just wish I had some chicken pandan. That would have made it more "Thai."

PS: Sweetened adobo (pork or chicken), or some pork tocino may also be used in this dish. Which is what I did with this one.