While traditional Filipino cuisine features many delicious vegetable dishes, they often rely on animal-derived ingredients like fish sauce or bagoong. Bagoong, a salty shrimp paste, adds depth and umami flavor to various recipes. Chef Woldy Reyes, in his upcoming cookbook, recognizes the challenge of plant-based alternatives and does not eliminate fish sauce entirely, believing that some dishes truly need it. Nevertheless, he experiments with plant-based bagoong, delivering exciting results for those seeking vegetarian options without sacrificing flavor.
Bagoong, of course, offers more than just salt. "It's a very umami, strong flavor-bomb," says Woldy Reyes. Made with sugar, garlic, onion, vinegar, and that magic ingredient, MSG, it’s an exercise in layered flavor.
Here's the thing about making plant-based versions of animal-based foods: Sometimes, despite one's best efforts, substitution fails to capture the essence of the original dish.
In Reyes's first cookbook In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cook, out April 8 from Chronicle, he doesn't omit fish sauce—some dishes just needed it, but he takes on the challenge of plant-based bagoong nevertheless.
Bagoong can come from different kinds of seafood. Historically, it is always made of seafood. However, Reyes's approach provides compelling results for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
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