Bicol Express
Bicol Express is the emblematic spicy dish of the Bicol region in southern Luzon, an area famous throughout the Philippines for its exceptionally high tolerance for chili peppers, which contrasts sharply with the predominantly mild Filipino cuisine found elsewhere in the country. The dish's name is a wry joke, referring to the fast Bicol Express train that once connected Manila to the Bicol region, poking fun at the speed with which the chilies in the recipe "arrive" at the eater's taste buds. While many sources attribute the dish to traditional Bicolano cooking, some accounts claim it was actually invented at a Manila restaurant in the 1970s, as a commercial version meant to evoke the region's spicy food for customers in the capital. Whatever its exact origin, the combination of rich coconut milk, abundant chili peppers and fermented shrimp paste has become a culinary symbol of Bicolano regional identity, prized for its bold intensity within a national cuisine that often values restraint.
Pork belly
Fatty pork pieces, cooked until soft
Thick coconut milk
A creamy sauce reduced from coconut milk
Plenty of chilies
A generous amount of sliced chili peppers
Shrimp paste
Fermented shrimp paste for umami depth
Ingredients 4 servings
- 700 g pork belly, cubed
- 500 ml thick coconut milk
- 10 long green chilies, sliced
- 5 small red chilies, chopped
- 2 tbsp fermented shrimp paste
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cm ginger, grated
- Salt to taste
How to make it
- 1Cut the pork belly into medium cubes, with skin and fat included for authentic texture.
- 2Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in a large pot with a little oil over medium heat, until fragrant and slightly translucent.
- 3Add the fermented shrimp paste and fry for a minute, stirring constantly to release its aroma without burning it.
- 4Add the cubed pork belly and brown it on all sides, for 5-7 minutes.
- 5Pour half the coconut milk over the meat and let it simmer, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes, until the meat becomes tender.
- 6Add the remaining coconut milk and the sliced green and red chilies, mixing well.
- 7Let the stew simmer uncovered over low heat for a further 15-20 minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes creamy, and the coconut fat starts to separate slightly on the surface.
- 8Adjust with salt to taste and serve hot with steamed white rice.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
