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Bicol Express

Capture the essence of the Bicol region with this fiery and flavorful dish - Bicol Express. Come hungry and ready for bold, fast-paced flavors that will take your taste buds on a wild ride!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs pork belly cubes
  • 1½ tbsp bagoong (fermented shrimp paste)
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 sweet yellow onion chopped
  • 1 anaheim pepper seeded and sliced
  • 3 serrano pepper sliced
  • 2 thai chili peppers sliced
  • 13.5 oz coconut milk

Equipment

  • Our Place Always Pan
  • Our Place Everyday Chefs Knife
  • Our Place Cutting Board

Method
 

  1. Cut the anaheim peppers in half, remove the seeds, then slice into thin pieces. Set aside.
  2. Heat a pan to medium-high heat. Saute pork belly until cooked through. Set aside.
  3. Add garlic, onions, peppers, and bagoong to the pan. Cook a few minutes until aromatic and softened.
  4. Add the cooked pork back in, then pour in the coconut milk.
  5. Lower the heat to simmer for about 15 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust spice according to your preference.

Notes

Note 1. If cooking for a group with different spice tolerances, you can make the dish with mild or medium peppers only, then serve extra chili on the side for individuals to add as desired.
Note 2. Classic Bicol Express uses siling labuyo and siling haba, which can be difficult to find in the US. In our recipe, we used a combination of anaheim peppers, serrano peppers, and thai chili peppers. Use a variety of peppers available to you to achieve the desired level of flavor and spice.