Bagoong - An Acquired Taste

What is the perfect pair for bagoong? Green mangoes of course! Too bad for me, I cannot find any here in my local grocery. The mango in the photo is the closest I can get to a green mango. I chose the mango that has a lot of green color left on the skin, hoping that it is still green inside. As you can see, it's already turned yellow but it is not entirely sweet. I can still taste the tanginess and sourness of an unriped mango, hurrah! :) But this post is about Bagoong. There are many kinds of Bagoong and the one I like is made with tiny shrimps. I never did take a liking to the one made with fermented fish which looks and tastes completely different, my mom by the way, prefer this kind. I think it is more commonly used in the Visayas and Mindanao region.

My husband who eats almost everything tried Bagoong but he didn't like it, he said it is too salty for him even with Kare-kare. My brother-in-law on the other hand, likes Bagoong, go figure. The Bagoong I like to use comes from Pampanga, I find it just right for my taste, not too salty. My perfect Bagoong has a lot of garlic, onions and tomatoes. My mom cooks it with tiny pieces of pork but I prefer it plain. There is a dish I like called Binagoongan, it is made with cubed pork (preferably with fat), garlic, onions, vinegar and Bagoong. People also use Bagoong with Kare-kare (Ox tail in peanut stew) as a condiment and in Pinakbet (a mixture of vegetables and Bagoong). If you do know of any other uses of Bagoong, do let me know.

Bagoong

1 bottle uncooked Bagoong
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 tbsp vinegar (can be modified depending on your taste)

Saute garlic and onions in oil until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and cooked until soft. Add the Bagoong and mix, bring to boil. Add the vinegar but do not mix (very important!). Cook in medium heat for 10 minutes without mixing. After 10 minutes, mix and taste. Add a tablespoon of vinegar if you feel it needs more acidity (cook another 10 minutes if you added more vinegar).

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