Bicol Express

Bicol Express is a dish which was named after a passenger train from Manila to Bicol. They named the dish Bicol Express because eating the dish will make you run like a train to look for water to drink. Bicol express is made up of pork cooked in coconut milk and spiced with lots and lots of wild red chili (siling labuyo) and added with shredded finger chili (siling pangsigang) that served as vegetables. Anyone who would eat the Bicol express should always ready himself with tissue or towels because anyone eating this dish will surely sweat and cry in tears because of the hot and spicy flavor.

Cooking Instruction

1/4 kilo pork, thinly sliced

1 cup wild red chili (siling labuyo)

3 cups long chili (siling pangsigang)

1 onion, minced

1 head of garlic, minced

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup coconut cream

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

Salt to taste

In a bowl of water with salt, soak chili peppers for 30 minutes then rinse and strain.

In a cooking pan, heat cooking oil and brown sliced pork for a few minutes.

In another pan, sauté minced garlic and onion.

Add to the sauté the browned pork.

Then add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the chili peppers and cook until dish gets a little dry.

Add the coconut cream and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Salt to taste.

Sources

Recipe

Pinangat na Laing

Bicolano recipe for vegetarians: the very popular laing. Laing is made from local “gabi” or taro leaves. The leaves is simmered in coconut cream and then served with siling labuyo or chili pepper. The dish is very common since the Bicolanos plant taro near their houses. The dish is also very affordable and it can be seen in almost any carenderia (restaurant) in the region.

Ingredients:

24 gabi/taro stems and leaves
1/4 kilo cooked pork, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup dried fish, boiled and flaked
1/2 cup bagoong alamang
2 pieces siling labuyo, crushed
2/3 cup green onions, finely cut
1 1/2 cups pure coconut milk/cream
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (second extraction)

Pinangat na Gabi Procedures:

String stems and cut into two-inch lengths.

Wash leaves.

Mix pork, fish, 3 tablespoons bagoong, garlic 1 teaspoon gingner, siling labuyo and green onions.

Add pure coconut milk.

Pile four leaves together and put 3 tablespoons of the mixture.

Wrap and tie.

Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the ingredients.

Arrange in a kettle together with the stems and pour second extraction of coconut milk.

Season with the remaining bagoong.

Add 1 teaspoon ginger.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours

Sources
Recipe
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