HOW TO COOK BICOL EXPRESS

HOW TO COOK BICOL EXPRESS

This is my way how to cook Bicol Express. Many of us always hear about this Bicol Express dish but many of us don’t know how to cook it and even many of us haven’t had this dish. We always here about Bicol Express in a bar served as pulutan. This delicious but very hot dish was originated in Bicolandia, a region in the Philippines where spicy dishes are cooked and almost part of their every meal. I have a bartender friend who works in a bar somewhere in Libis. I asked him for the recipe of Bicol Express because the bar he works for serves Bicol Express. I got the recipe and I made some changes to it to make my own version of this dish. Here it is but be careful on how much chilis you want to use.

INGREDIENTS

2lbs of boneless pork (cut into about ¼ inch x ¼ inch cubes)

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup garlic (minced)

½ cup onions (chopped)

¼ cup ginger (chopped)

1 tsp red chili (siling labuyo or taiwan)

1 cup of red bell pepper (cut into strips)

½ cup of juvenile shrimp paste (alamang)

5 cups of coconut milk (instant or powder will do)

Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

1. In a pan, saute garlic, onions and ginger until garlic is brown.
2. Add the pork. Stir fry until the pork is brown.
3. Add shrimp paste and red chili and stir.
4. Pour in the coconut milk. Let it boil until thickened.
5. Add the red bell pepper, groud pepper and salt. Simmer until the bell pepper is cooked.
6. And serve with your favorite beverage or beer.