COOKIN’ RECIPE: Vegan Bagoong
One of my greatest frustrations going largely plant-based is the lack of bagoong. Bagoong (particularly the alamang type, exponentially salty, sweet and spicy) is one of my favorite condiments and stir-fry must have for local dishes. I experimented a few times and used recipes of people who have been on the path longer than I have. Close to throwing in the towel, I stumbled upon a copy of Yummy magazine and saw Marie Gonzalez‘s recipe and followed it to the letter. At the time, it was the closest I’ve come to achieving the depth of umami-ness only real bagoong can deliver.
Along the way, I adapted the recipe and made changes to fine tune it to my preference.
Yield: 2 cups
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms (for this recipe, I find brown mushrooms are better, particularly the dried type then reconstituted)
- 1 head of garlic, chopped
- 200 g tausi or salted black beans (reserve the brine)
- 6 roasted nori sheets
- 3 pieces of kombu, reconstituted in a little water (reserve the water)
- 2 siling labuyo or bird’s eye chilies (I like mine spicy)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons achuete oil
HOW TO:
- Using a food processor, blitz the mushrooms, tausi and nori sheets until everything is well incorporated and resembles a fine mince.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the achuete oil and fry the garlic until golden. Add the chilies.
- Add the mushroom mixture and saute for more or less 5 minutes. Add the kombu water and tausi brine.
- Sprinkle in the sugar, mix and season to taste.
This is the first dish I made with the bagoong. This is also great with green mangoes and grilled vegetables. KNL currently produces this bagoong for those people who do not have time to make this. For inquiries and prices, please e-mail or contact us via our FB page.
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