Thursday, March 15, 2007
FAVORITE LOCAL SALAD
For me that would be diced green mangoes, tomatoes and onions with bagoong alamang.
I would always have a small plate of this salad, especially when enjoying grilled bangus. However, I had the worst case of hives last summer, which I suspected to have been triggered by my eating this salad at least every other day; not to mention that it was a very uncomfortably hot and humid summer. Hence, that was the last time I enjoyed this favorite Pinoy salad of mine.
In hindsight, it might have been just the bagoong alamang that did me in, which was purchased at the Blumentritt public market. For those not aware of it, bagoong alamang is a popular Filipino condiment that most locals consider in jest as their caviar. After all, it's very salty and smells like caviar.
It is simply a shrimp paste, however, made from minute shrimp or fish. Depending from the region where they come from, bagoong alamang may vary in color, flavor, and taste. The more popular is the pink and salty kind, but I prefer the brown kind, not as salty, but somewhat sweet, and sauteed with pork just the way my aunt from Subic used to make it.
But, alas! Since my bout with the hives, I've stopped eating this condiment altogether. Oh, okay, just a little bit every now and then -- when feasting on some kare-kare.
Labels: bagoong alamang, Filipino salad, green mango, kare-kare
posted by Señor Enrique at 8:08 AM
38 Comments:
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said... mouthwatering ensaladang mangga with bagoong... to quote a famous potato chip brand, yes, you can have just one! =) i hope you don't break out into hives when you do have bagoong once in a while.
my bros are allergic to shrimp, but it's my younger bro who eats bagoong (and tempura) every now and then too. fortunately for me i don't have any allergies at all. =)
nice photo, btw. those are green mangoes, right?-
Señor Enrique said... My nephew is intensely allergic to shrimps, Carla. Ugly manifestations whenever he ate some unaware.
Thanks! Yes, these were young green mangoes gleefully pinched by my niece's boyfriend from the neighbor's mango tree, which a part of it hangs over our side of the fence.
Every time I see green mangoes I long for my favorite ensalada :(-
said...
heehee i meant indian mangoes pala ^^;;
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Señor Enrique said...
That's quite all right :) A friend from NY just emailed thinking they were pears ... hahaha.
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said...
they do look like pears!
my uncle loves shrimp and bagoong but is allergic to them so he takes anti-allergy pills before eating.
take care.
minotte-
said...
We have three... no, I think four Indian mango trees in our family home yard. My brother planted them before leaving for the States where he and his family settled for good. When he came back after 10 years, he was so surprised to see them all "grown up", and bearing fruits too.
We used to freely make 'sungkit' the fruits, but one time, my mom discovered she could make good money out of it by "pakyaw" contract. So, from then on, we could not touch a single fruit, not until the "pakyaw" people have harvested their gains. But mostly "tira-tira" na lang ang naiwan... :( But we would feast on them anyway. We had a "papag" under one of the trees and my siblings and I, plus our children would have picnic on family get togethers during Holy Week. :)-
Señor Enrique said...
You had just given me an idea, Minotte! That is, if I really wanted to heartily enjoy this Pinoy salad once again :)
These are very young mangoes that is why they haven't really developed the usual curvaceous shape of a mango as we know it.-
Señor Enrique said...
My aunt in Marikina has a single Indian mango tree, Rhoda, and the fruits it bear are just simply sweet and delicious. And you have four of them trees? Wow!
The image of a "papag" underneath the mango tree has always been etched in my mind reminding me of many childhood lazy and carefree summer days in Subic. I love those "papags!"-
said...
We have a very spacious yard, Eric. It's where we siblings all grew up. All around our house were fruit bearing trees - chico, langka, cacao, caimito, mabolo, papaya, banana, guava, aratiles, etc.... Those were the days though. We only have a couple of guava and four mango trees left now. Sad. Miss those days... :(
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Rey said...
I enjoy my mangoes with just soy sauce or fish sauce. I have allergies with small shrimps so I can't enjoy bagoong. I tried once and i really like it. It's just that I got all swollen afterwards.
anyway, you've been tagged, Eric. :)-
Señor Enrique said...
Aratiles, Rhoda? Are you serious? Do you have any idea how tough it was for us to get those? It was like gold to us kids back then!
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Señor Enrique said...
I have to find an alternative to the bagoong, Rey, cause i'm feeling like a pregnant woman craving intensely for my favorite ensalada ... hehehe.
I'll go check out what this meme is all about.-
said...
every now and the should be ok...super delicious salad!
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Sidney said...
I pass on the green mangoes with the bagoong...
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sheilamarie said...
bagoong is like gold here, eric. which is why i brought loads with me this time (which my friends here have swiped already, LOL).
fortunately for me, i may have allergy to gold (i can never wear rings or earrings too long, it starts making my skin itch), but never yet to bagoong. LOL!-
Sebastiane said...
Never tried it before but sounds really, really nice.
(:-
Señor Enrique said...
You're right, Dine! Once in a while and in littele amounts shouldn't be any problem :)
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Señor Enrique said...
Bagoong, my friend Sidney, is much like wine. You have to acquire the taste for it ... lol!
But most of my New York friends are completely turned off by its smell, especially the patis :)-
Señor Enrique said...
You should have brought back more with you, Sheilamarie. In NYC, there are many Pinoy stores who have this in stock.
Oh no! Of all things you have to be allergic to it has to be gold :(
My mom is allergic no non-gold findings of jewelries whether in earrings or bracelets. So everything she wears must be completely made of gold otherwise her skin gets irritated and develops a rash.-
Señor Enrique said...
Bagoong is nothing more than shrimp paste which you also have in your country, Kyels. Ask your mom :)
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said...
masarap din yung bagoong na nasa bote, yung nabibili sa grocery. kapag ako nagpupunta abroad, ganyan pasalubong ko sa kanila.
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said...
Are you sure it is the bagoong that did you in? Cold it be the weather or something else you ate?
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Señor Enrique said...
That is a good idea, Iskoo. Besides the usual sweets and hopias, bottled bagoong as pasalubong I'm sure will be a welcome sight by friends abroad :)
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Señor Enrique said...
Got a good point there, Anonymous. For extra precaution, I try to be careful and selective, especially now that Manila is supposed to experience record-breaking heatwave due to weather warming. I don't usually experiment with foods so the hot weather is a likely suspect as well.
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Watergirl said...
Try using a slightly modified Thai/vietnamese salad dressing instead: patis, small amounts of chopped siling labuyo (or any chilli pepper), lime juice, a bit of honey or brown sugar, and garlic. Chopped peanuts also add some texture. It might give you the flavor you seek without the aftereffects of the bagoong. Unfortunately, if the bagoong was not fresh or properly cooked then you'll definitely breakout. To be sure it was not a one off event, get yourself an food allergy test. If your skin reacts to shrimp or shellfish, then bagoong may be verboten for good unless you can prepare meds ahead of a feast.
May you be able to eat your favorite salad soon.-
Señor Enrique said...
Wow! Many thanks, Mila, I will most definitely give this a try! Truly appreciate it :)
BTW, no, I have no allergy when it comes to any shell fish or shrimp that I know of. If it was indeed the bagoong, I most probably got a real bad one that time.-
-= dave =- said...
Ooh mangoes, my favorite fruit! I prefer the ripe ones though: sweet and soft rather than sour and hard.
Why would it be tough to get aratiles? We as kids had developed different methods in harvesting them, and I was especially adept at those that did not require climbing up the tree. Ironically, I never developed a taste for the berry-like fruits, I just gather them for my friends who, on the other hand, were crazy about them.
As for climbing trees, my favorite in our neighborhood was the chico tree. This particular tree, by the way, also bore large and extremely sweet fruits sans the grainy texture, making chico my second favorite fruit.-
Francesca said...
KAKALAWAY NAMAN YAN! SENOR!penge, email mo na lng!
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Señor Enrique said...
We had a neighbor in Manila who had an aratiles tree in front of his house but had it completely fenced in to prevent the neighborhood kids from climbing it and stealing the fruit.
In the province, the only aratiles tree around was in the cemetery far from our barrio.
So you can imagine, Dave, how we lusted after the aratiles when young.
Chico is another favorite but they're quite abundant :)-
Señor Enrique said...
Hindi ata basta-basta mag padala ng fruit sa FedEx sa ibang bansa, Francesca ... hehehe.
Sa port of entry sa States dami silang di pinapapasok na dalang pasalubong ng mga Pinoy.-
said...
"Nangangasim" ako sa pics mo! ;)
I haven't eaten indian mangoes in ages! I can only buy bagoong from the Pinoys stores here, but most of the time they're not even that good.-
said...
Thai mango salad is totally irresistible and a very good excuse for me to go to a Thai restaurant :)
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NOYPETES said...
Eric,
kasalanan yata sa sambayanan'g kabataan ng Pilipinas ang bakuran at ipag-kait ang dulot na ligaya sa pag akyat at pag-pitas ng mga matamis na bunga ng punong ARATILES!
Sinubukan ko yung Thai-Vietnamese salad dressing ni MILA sa manibalang na Pinya(di pa masyadong matamis at ma-asim-asim pa) Wow ang sarap!!! Siyempre ayos din yun sa medyo hilaw na Papaya at Mangga. Sinubukan ko rin sa green apples dito at masarap din! Eeeew! ika ng mga anak ko pero nuong natikman na nila, di na akotinirahan!
Salamat ng marami or Thank you very much for your suggested dressing Mila!-
Señor Enrique said...
Hi Kathy!
Maybe better sautee that bagoong with chopped pork like the way my aunt used to make it. It might make it more edible.-
Señor Enrique said...
Aha! Didn't know that serve this at Thai restaurants as well, BW. Must be just as delicious.
I love Thai food but not too spicy, though :)-
Señor Enrique said...
Ang lalim naman ng Tagalog na 'yan, Noypetes ... hehehe! Pero naintindihan ko din ata.
I will try Mila's salad dressing this coming Saturday when we have some friends come over for a visit. I'll serve grilled bangus with my favorite salad and Mila's dressing.-
said...
Nangangasim tuloy ako! :)
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Señor Enrique said...
Hi Lar!
Hehehe ... Makakain ko lang ito pag salad siya kasi maasim. Iba pa din yung hinog na may kasamang suman, ano?
