Binagoongan Baboy is the perfect weeknight dinner; it cooks in one pan and in an hour! Made of pork belly stewed in fresh tomatoes, shrimp paste, and chili peppers, this classic Filipino pork dish is hearty, boldly flavored, and best enjoyed with steamed rice.
I cooked binagoongan baboy today so that I could reshoot the photos as well as update the recipe with cooking tips. I first published this post in 2013, during my first year of blogging, and it definitely needed revamping.
Since I hadn't had this classic Filipino stew for a while, I was very excited to enjoy it for lunch and made sure I had my rice going in the rice cooker while the meat was simmering on the stove. I couldn't wait to dig in and rush through the photography as quickly as possible!
After a couple of shots, I went straight to the rice cooker to serve myself a generous heap, and there was my raw rice, still raw and swimming in water. I forgot to push the COOK lever! Ugh.
Waiting a second time for the rice to cook while the pungent aroma of pork binagoongan wafted from the kitchen was the most torturous 20 minutes of my life! And then, of course, G comes up to me and suggests, "you can eat it with bread. " I looked at him, and I'm like, Uhm, bae, what part of Filipinos AND rice don't you understand?
Ingredients/Substitutions
- Pork belly- I prefer this fatty cut in binagoongan as its thick cap of skin cooks to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and renders fat into the sauce for incredible flavor. If you like leaner meat, pork shoulder is a good option. I've also used boneless, skinless chicken with delicious results!
- Shrimp paste- make sure to saute and brown it well to tame the fishy taste. Better yet, use already ginisang bagoong instead of raw. I included instructions in the recipe notes on how to use either.
- Vinegar- helps balance the strong flavors of the dish. Once added to the pot, give it a few minutes to boil, uncovered and without stirring, to cook off the acidity.
- Sugar- along with the vinegar, it helps round off flavors
- Onions, garlic, tomatoes- the trinity of Filipino ginisa dishes
- Chili peppers- scrape off the seeds and veins before chopping, or omit the peppers altogether if you don't care for the spice.
Cooking tips
- Eggplant is a traditional accompaniment to this classic Filipino pork stew. Cut the vegetable into 1-inch thickness, pan-fry until tender and lightly browned, and toss in the dish during the last few minutes of cooking or serve on the side.
- Commercial sauteed shrimp paste is generally sweeter than raw; do a taste test before adding additional sugar to the dish.
- If Using raw shrimp paste, saute the shrimp paste longer, about 3 to 5 minutes, or until it darkens in color.
How to serve
Pork binagoongan is traditionally served as a main dish for lunch or dinner with steamed rice and fried eggplant on the side to complete the meal. You can also try it with pickled mangoes to add a refreshing flavor.
Storing leftovers
Store leftovers in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat to 165 F or in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals until fully heated.
More Binagoongan Recipes:
- Crispy pork binagoongan- made extra special with crispy pork, steamed eggplant, and mango-tomato salad topping. Sooo yummy!
- Binagoongan Fried Rice- toss your leftover pork stew with day-old steamed rice
- Binagoongan Baboy sa Gata- take this recipe into a whole new level of yum with coconut milk!
- Binagoongan Talong- eggplants go from side dish to center stage in this version
More pork recipes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 pounds pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons sauteed shrimp paste
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- ยผ cup vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 5 Thai chili peppers, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar (see recipe notes)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a wide pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add pork cubes and cook until they begin to brown and render fat.
- Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add shrimp paste and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and cook, mashing with the back of the spoon, until softened and release juice.
- Add vinegar and simmer, uncovered and without stirring, for about 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add water, chili peppers, and sugar, if using. Stir to combine.
- Lower heat, cover, and simmer until pork is fork-tender and sauce is reduced.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with fried eggplant and steamed rice.
Notes
- If Using Raw Shrimp Paste, saute the shrimp paste longer, about 3 to 5 minutes, or until it darkens in color.ย
- Commercial sauteed shrimp is usually sweet in taste, so taste test before adding sugar to the dish.
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Ricky Javier Jaro says
Thankful. Helped me a lot in my cooking onboard ship.
Corrie Reighard says
Cravings! Wow it was very delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Josephine Puyawan says
Walang ibang gulay ang pwedeng Italy sa binagoongan? Aside from talong
Lalaine Manalo says
Pwede rin ang okra or ampalaya ๐
Shella Calixtro says
Thank you for sharing your recipe. God bless you!
Milagros de Asis Aguiton says
First time kong mag luluto ng binagoongan baboy with talong..sna po thru your recipe.. maging successful po sna me today.. thanks and God bless you always ๐โค๏ธ
Alexis says
Tried this recipe and it taste really good!Quick and easy! Thank for sharing ๐
Ben Dover says
I kamot kamot my head because it taste better when you measure the baboy in pounds versus kilos , I donโt why nga eh, basta mas ma sarap siya. As in yummy talaga - sobra!
Salamat for the recipe ate kong Maganda ๐
Lee says
I followed the recipe exactly and it was so delicious, just like my mama used to make! I was taken back to fond memories in my heart. I told my children that I will be adding this to our normal repertoire of family meals. Thank you!!
Annlouise Castro says
Love this recipe! My siblings have never been fans of anything bagoong, and after I first cooked this, lagi nalang dapat may extra rice when they know this is for dinner ๐ I add ginger at the beginning, but pretty much stick to your recipe na. Thank you again!
P.S. The other favorite is your recipe of beef pares