Bagoong Rice

This is one of those dishes that I made as a result of my one of those out-of-the-blue-cravings. I didn't know how to make it, but I was sure I want something home-made, not take out, (nope, not even Thailand or Mami Soup will cut it this time). So I did some research, but none of the recipes online seemed to work for me. If you cook, you know by looking at the ingredients how it's going to taste like, right? Probably the one closest to what I was dreaming of was this recipe from yummy.ph. So that became my guide, then I adjusted it to my liking.

Though this has been well adapted as a Filipino dish, this was borrowed from our Thai neighbor. We Southeast Asians share the same love for rice! And this rice dish is one of them; it's bursting with with complex flavor-- salty, sweet and tangy, what more can you ask for? A second serving perhaps?

Ingredients:
FOR THE PORK BITES
1 cup bite-sized pork belly
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp sugar

FOR THE BAGOONG RICE
3 cups day-old cooked rice
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 cup raw bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)
1 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 tbsps finely chopped red onions
1 red chili, thinly cut, crosswise

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar

FOR THE OMELET:
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt

ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS
1 green mango, 3 inch-julienne
1 cucumber, 3 inch-julienne

Directions:

1. Make an omelet with one egg lightly seasoned with salt. Cool for a couple of minutes and then slice thinly, (the same size as the cucumber and mango). Set aside.

2. Season the pork with salt, pepper and sugar. Fry the pork in EVOO until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes; you may adjust to your preferred doneness. Drain on paper towel and set aside. Remove some of the pork fat and reserve for later, leave 2 tbsps of oil in the pan.

3. Saute garlic, chili and onion in the same pan over medium heat for 2 minutes or until onion is slightly softened. Add the shrimp paste , sugar and black pepper. Saute until the shrimp paste change its color from pink to brownish. Add the rice and mix until well combined. Serve in a bowl and top with strips of mangoes, cucumber and omelet.

Makes 2 servings

Home-cooked Meal
06 Oct 2012