Bagoong is an important Filipino delicacy and ingredients to most of its dishes;  Be careful of its pungent odor for its actually fermented.  Bagoong could be alamang “tiny shrimps” or in fishes. Filipinos love to snack them with green mangoes or just even to top them on newly cooked rice.

Bagoong Guisado

Ingredients:

about half a cup of bagoong (shrimp paste)

1 teaspoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of vinegar

some chilies (labuyo) this is optional if you want spicy

some pork fat

1 red onion chopped

Procedure:

In a pan, put your pork fat add a little bit of water and cover it.  Let it boil and let the oil come out from the fat.  Fry the fat from its oil, add the garlic then the onion.  Add the bagoong and continue frying.  Add the sugar and vinegar cook until the vinegar has completely evaporated.  If you want a spicy bagoong add the chopped chilies.

Related posts:

1. Bagoong Rice
2. Ginataang Kalabasa
3. Tokwa’t Baboy

Although this dish is inspired by a famous thai rice dish our local shrimp paste will bring out the best and the real filipino taste in this food.

Ingredients:
2 bowls of cooked rice,

1 onion chopped,

2 cloves of garlic,

1 tbsp of shrimp paste,

2 tbsp of olive oil,

2 tbsp of fish sauce

Procedure:

In wok brown the garlic and the onion. Add the shrimp paste and mix well. Put the cook rice and continue to mix. Season with fish sauce. You can also add some chopped hot chili pepper (siling labuyo if you want a hotter version). Serve this with sliced green mango on the side and some sliced tocino.

Published with permission: Dhanggit’s Kitchen

Related posts:

1. Ginataang Kalabasa
2. Laing
3. Bagoong Guisado

When my mom cooks Ginataang Kalabasa I swear I eat with my hands. This is a healthy and truly delicious vegetable dish, we’ll never get tired of eating.

Ingredients:

1 cup of squash cut in cube

1 bunch of string beans cut about 4 inches long

3 cloves of garlic

1 onion sliced

3 tbsp of shrimp paste (bagoong) if its not available you can use patis to add the fish flavor about 1 tbsp)

1 pack of coconut milk (about one cup)

about 12 pcs of prawns

about 4 to 5 pieces of crab (alimasag) (you can cut them into two to help the flavor propagate in the dish

siling labuyo (optional) it depends if you want it spicy or not

salt and pepper

Procedure:

Heat the pan, put the cooking oil. Add the garlic and onion. Once their fragrant perfume comes out add the shrimp paste. Sauté for about few minutes then add the squash and string beans. Pour the coconut milk and cover, let it simmer gently over low fire. Once it boiled add the rest of ingredients; prawns, crab and sili. Cover and continue simmering for about ten minutes. Stir from time to time to avoid that the bottom to stick. Once the sauce has reduced in volume you can turn off the fire. Best served with hot rice . Kain na!

Related posts:

1. Pinakbet
2. Ginataang Tulingan
3. Laing

I have learned this laing version to our Bicolano neighbor. I assure you this is the real thing.

Ingredients:

half a kilo of Gabi leaves (if they are too fresh you need to dry them up after tearing them)

half a kilo of gabi stems (take off the skin with the aid of knife)

* Saying goes to avoid scratching any part of your body while preparing this dish if you don’t want your laing to be itchy in your mouth.

milk from 2 coconut (if you cannot find fresh coconut you can replace it with one pack of coconut milk and one pack of coconut cream)

2 dried fish (you can use bisugo or labahita) you can also use dilis if you want

1/4 kilo pork belly cut in cube

3 cloves of garlic crushed

1 onion sliced

1 tbsp of grated ginger

salt & pepper

2 siling haba (jalapeno)

3-4 siling labuyo (chili)

*this Laing version is more for a day to day meal. You can add seafood like crab or prawns if its for a special gathering.

Procedure:

I assure cooking this dish is very easy and simple. You will spend more time preparing the ingredients. Start by removing the skin of your gabi stems then cut them about 2 to three inches in length. Next get the gabi leaves. NEVER wash them. Use a clean sponge instead to clean the leaves of any dirt or insect that might be attached to it. Next tear them as you would tear a paper. Not too big nor too small. Put all the leaves together with the cut stem and dry them outside. Be sure you don’t cook laing during rainy season

As soon as your gabi leaves have dried up and wilted we can start cooking them now. Get a big casserole, it needs to be thick enough because this is a slow cooking dish. Out of fire assemble the ingredients on the casserole; starting with the pork belly, then put the garlic, onion and ginger. Then cover this with the gabi stem, then the gabi leaves. Pour the coconut milk and cream (if you are using freshly squeezed coconut milk put everything). Lastly put the dried fish on the top and cover the casserole. Put the casserole on fire and cook slowly for about an hour over low fire. Once you smelled that coconut milk has dried up and the scent of coconut oil is strong. Turn off the fire. Get the dried fish which is now soft and cooked, and start mincing them with your hand. Put back the fish meat (just the meat you can throw the head and fish bones) and add the siling haba and cut siling labuyo. Stir your laing from bottom to top delicately. Stir them well until all the ingredients are well distributed. Cover it again. Laing gets better as day passed by. So better to eat them the next day. That is if you have a fridge you can keep it. Or else invite your neighbor to eat it with you.

Related posts:

1. Pinangat
2. Ginataang Kalabasa
3. Ginataang Tulingan