When I was a kid, I used to eat anything. I would look through the refrigerator and see what I could pair with the previous day's cooked rice. Options were usually eggs, hotdogs, canned goods or even just soy sauce, Knorr seasoning and my super favorite condiment, bagoong! Bagoong is made by mixing fish or shrimp and brine and then left to ferment for months. It is stinky but oh so good!!!
There were always jars of different types of bagoong in our home. There was commercialized Barrio Fiesta and Lorenzana's bottled bagoong, there was fresh sauteed bagoong made by my Nanny, and there was Bagoong Balayan which is fermented anchovies. Drool, that alone on hot steamed rice and calamansi or lemon juice was a meal to me! My mom used to get so angry because I used to really eat bagoong with everything! In fact, I would use it in place of mint jelly for lamb, soy sauce for fried fish, and patis for my Sinigang and Nilaga.
As I got older, and started to learn to cook, I learned to use my favorite condiment in deifferent dishes. This is one of them. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
2 Kilos Pork belly cubes
1 Tbsp Olive oil
20 cloves of Garlic
8 pieces Bay leaves
1 cup Vinegar
1 cup spicy Barrio Fiesta Bagoong/Shrimp paste
1 can Coconut Milk
1 knob sliced Ginger
2 Tbsps Fish sauce/Patis
1/4 tsp ground Black Pepper
4 cups Water
Heat a heavy bottomed pot like a Le Creuset Dutch oven, pour the olive oil and sear the pork belly cubes until nicely caramelized. Add all the other ingredients and simmer until the pork belly cubes are tender. Adjust seasoning. You know it's done when the sauce is almost dry and all the oils separate from the meat.
*Serve with steaming hot rice!
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