Bagoong Fried Rice

bagoong fried rice and bacon

One of the food fads in the Philippines that I keep reading about is Bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) Fried Rice. I didn't know that this dish is adapted by Filipinos from a Thai recipe for fried rice, Kao Kluk Gapi, substituting bagoong for the Thai shrimp paste called kapi or gapi. I can't recall if I have ever made this dish which is usually served with Moo Wan (sweet pork). Moo Wan is one of our favorite Thai meat dishes but I paired the Filipino bagoong version of the rice dish with deep fried thick pieces of [home cured with maple sugar] bacon.

The bagoong fried rice recipe is adapted from my cookbook THE THAI COOKBOOK by Pannipa Dibbayawan And Guy Cox.

Bagoong Fried Rice
1 egg
2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons dried shrimp powder
2 tablespoons seasoned bagoong
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 siling haba or hot red pepper, finely chopped
4 cups cooked rice
3 spring onions, coarsely chopped
1 sprig coriander, chopped
¼ cup shredded green mango
sliced cucumbers for garnish

• Beat the egg; heat a non-stick skillet and cover the surface with 1 tablespoon oil. Slowly pour in the egg while rotating the pan to cover the surface. Cook until light brown on one side then flip to cook the other side. Remove the omelet, allow to cool and cut into fine strips. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a wok, add the onion and garlic and stir fry until soft. Add the dried shrimp powder, stir cook for 1 minute then add the shrimp paste, mixing thoroughly. Add the rice and mix well. Throw in the spring onions and coriander and stir together. Serve the rice with strips of omelet on top, sliced cucumbers, and green mango strips.