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Bicol express
Bicol express (sinilihan): pork simmered in coconut milk and cream with long green chillies and shrimp paste
Bicol, the peninsula at the southern tip of Luzon, cooks almost everything in coconut milk with plenty of chilli, and Bicol express is the pork dish that carries the region's name all over the country (locals often call it sinilihan, 'with chillies'). Pork shoulder is cooked down in coconut milk until the liquid turns to oil and the meat is tender, then finished with coconut cream, long green chillies and a spoon of shrimp paste. It is rich, salty and properly hot. Serve it with lots of plain rice. Chef's tip: let the coconut milk reduce until it 'breaks' and you see the oil; that is when the sauce gets its toasty, deep flavour.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan over a medium-high heat and brown 1 ½ lb boneless pork shoulder in two batches for 5 minutes each, until golden on several sides. Keep raw pork on its own board.
10 minStep 2: Lower the heat to medium, add 1 onion, 5 cloves garlic and ⅔ oz ginger and cook for 3 minutes until soft. Stir in 2 tbsp shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) and fry for 1 minute until it smells toasty.
4 minStep 3: Pour in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered over a low heat for 30–35 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pork is tender and the milk has reduced and starts to split into oil.
35 minStep 4: Add 8 long green chillies (siling haba) and 4 bird's-eye chillies and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in ¾ cup coconut cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. A common mistake is boiling hard after the cream goes in, which makes it grainy; keep it to a gentle bubble.
8 minStep 5: Check a large piece of pork: it should be tender and at least 160°F in the middle. Season with ½ tsp black pepper and taste before adding salt, as the shrimp paste is salty. Serve with 4 portions steamed white rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 37 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 48 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bicol express take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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