Bagoong Alamang at Mangga

I didn't realize how easy it was to make Bagoong Alamang. I have a friend who grew up in Navotas, a seaside community here in Manila and they used to make their own Bagoong Alamang, she was the one who told me how to make it. For the uninitiated, Bagoong Alamang is shrimp paste made from very small shrimps that are fermented and then sauteed with additional ingredients (onions, garlic, etc). I was supposed to make it from scratch but all I had available was pre-fermented alamang... BAGOONG ALAMANG

500 grams Alamang (fermented)

1 piece Red Onion (peeled and minced)

3 cloves Garlic (peeled, smashed and minced finely)

2 pieces Chili (minced)

2 tablespoons Oil (I used the solidified fat from the braised pork belly)

200 grams Pork belly (roasted in oven for 4 hours, cut small dice)

1/4 cup Cane Vinegar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Sautee minced onions, garlic and chili in oil until fragrant. Add the diced pork and the Alamang. Pour in the vinegar and let mixture come to a boil. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Cook this mixture until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Adjust the sugar as needed.

Cool and store in jars in the refrigerator.

Just as I was taking the picture...Hipster the cat decided to make an appearance to check out the delicious fishy smell coming from the bowl.

Bagoong Alamang can be used in many different ways. It can be a dipping sauce for Kare-Kare, or used in Binaggoongan. But my favorite way of using it is on Green Mangoes...yummmmmm...
Nothing says Summer more than Bagoong Alamang and Hilaw na Mangga (green, unripe mangoes).