03 December 2016

Pork Binagoongan

I was in college when I realized how I seriously loved fried eggplant with bagoong. Well, my college life was all about siomai and rice. Or pancit canton and rice - so that's very understandable. Yup, carbs on carbs most of the time! Haha. That's what being in a State U is, you know. 


Anyway, when my husband R and I got together two years after I graduated from college, the siomai and rice combo still exists but that's when I realized the importance of mealtimes in our relationship. Him being in the military makes us get together for only three times in a year! So this homecooking ladylove should make it a bit more special each time. But let's be honest, my entry-level salary can't give him a restaurant-style dinner at home. I settled for whatever my budget can do. I believe, though that budgeted meals do not mean it's not delicious. 

One dish that falls in that budgeted-but-delicious category is this super delish Pinoy favorite ulam. Now that I'm a mom to our sweet and funny 8-year-old, I have learned to cook this with just a few ingredients and procedure! Plus, using my homemade savory sidekick that I sell over at Bebeng's Kitchen.

Let's get it on.

Ingredients:

- 500 gms pork (best to have fatty part)
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 118ml Bebeng's Kitchen Bagoong Alamang (I used the sweet variant for my little foodie)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (optional)
- ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup warm water
- crispy fried talong for pairing and garnish 
- cooking oil for sauteing


Procedure:

1. In a pan, saute onion and garlic until translucent. Most Filipino cooks saute garlic first but I learned along the way that it makes a really big difference (a good one) if you saute onion first in low to medium fire. Onion emits sweet flavour that way. Or you can saute it altogether - they won't complain.
2. Then add pork and brown until no pink parts can be seen. Sprinkle ground black pepper. Since I cooked this for my little foodie, I just added around a quarter teaspoon.
3. Add apple cider vinegar. This is optional. I just put some since I'm not used to cooking pork dishes without making sure that it doesn't have that "animalesque" scent on them aka lansa. 
4. Pour warm water. Cover pan and cook for 30 minutes or more until pork is fork tender. Water is best warm so it won't stop the pork from cooking. 
5. Once pork is tender, add the whole 118ml jar of Bebeng's Kitchen Bagoong Alamang and mix it well until all pork cuts are covered with awesome goodness. BK Bagoong Alamang comes in three variants - original, sweet and spicy.
6. You can cook it more so sauce will be reduced and stir fry it like I did mine. But if you like your dishes saucy, you can serve it after the 5th step. Then pair it with fried eggplant. And tomato and green mango and grilled fish and lots and lots of rice. 



I would love to know how you did yours if you'll try this by tagging me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also use the hashtag #RoyalDomesticityRecipes. Happy cooking!

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