Bicol Express

Name: Bicol Express
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 4 portions
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 600 g · 1¼ lb pork belly, cut in strips; 400 ml · 1¾ cups coconut milk; 200 ml · ¾ cup coconut cream; 45 g · 3 tbsp shrimp paste (bagoong alamang); 60 g · 12 chilies red and green chilies, sliced; 20 g · 5 cloves garlic, minced; 100 g · 1 small onion, chopped; 15 g · 1 tbsp ginger, minced; 15 ml · 1 tbsp fish sauce; 1 g · ½ tsp black pepper

🍽 Serves 4⏱ Prep 20 min🔥 Cook 40 min🌍 Filipino

Pork belly simmered in coconut milk with shrimp paste and plenty of chilies: creamy, salty and hot.

📍 Bicol · Philippines

The story of the dish

The dish was popularised in Manila in the 1960s by Cely Kalaw, who named it after the Bicol Express train; it uses the chilies and coconut milk typical of Bicolano cooking.

The name: Named after the Bicol Express train from Manila to the Bicol region.

Ingredients

Ingredient	EUg · ml	UScups · spoons
pork belly cut in strips	≈ 600 g	≈ 1¼ lb
coconut milk	≈ 400 ml	≈ 1¾ cups
coconut cream	≈ 200 ml	≈ ¾ cup
shrimp paste (bagoong alamang)	≈ 45 g	≈ 3 tbsp
red and green chilies sliced	≈ 60 g	≈ 12 chilies
garlic minced	≈ 20 g	≈ 5 cloves
onion chopped	≈ 100 g	≈ 1 small
ginger minced	≈ 15 g	≈ 1 tbsp
fish sauce	≈ 15 ml	≈ 1 tbsp
black pepper	≈ 1 g	≈ ½ tsp

≈ amount suggested from similar recipes

Tools & equipment

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Also used: wok or deep pan · wooden spoon

Method

Render the pork belly in a pan until lightly browned and the fat runs.
Add garlic, onion and ginger and sauté until soft.
Stir in the shrimp paste and cook 2 minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and simmer gently 25 minutes until the pork is tender.
Add the chilies and coconut cream and cook until the sauce thickens and turns oily.
Season with fish sauce and pepper and serve with rice.

👨‍🍳 Chef’s tips

Remove the chili seeds if you want the heat lower; the coconut cream softens it too.

📱 Scan to watch me cook ityoutu.be/VOMrG4y_GVkEvery step on video, and new recipes every week: subscribe on YouTube.

Nutrition per portion estimate · 1 of 4

780kcal

24 gprotein

10 gcarbs

72 gfat

Allergens

CrustaceansFishMilk

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▶ Watch me cook it: youtu.be/VOMrG4y_GVk

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