Cookbook:Bicol Express

| Cuisine of the Philippines

Bicol express is a Filipino pork dish with coconut milk and chili peppers. Popularized in Malate, Manila, the dish took its name from a passenger train from Bicol Region going to Manila and vice versa. Bicol Region is famous for cooking dishes using coconut milk and chili peppers.

Ingredients

 * 1 spoon cooking oil
 * 1 onion, chopped
 * 1 head garlic, minced
 * 1 kg pork belly
 * ½ kg bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)
 * 15 pieces siling labuyo (bird's eye chili)
 * 2 spoons sugar
 * 1 teaspoon black pepper
 * Monosodium glutamate (optional)
 * 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk

Preparation

 * 1) Heat a frying pan over medium heat, then add the cooking oil.
 * 2) When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic. Sauté until fragrant and aromatic.
 * 3) Add the shrimp paste, siling labuyo and the pork belly. Stir fry the mixture until the pork is browned on all sides.
 * 4) Add the sugar, pepper, and monosodium glutamate if using.
 * 5) Stir in the coconut milk, and simmer until the meat is cooked through.
 * 6)  Serve with cooked rice.