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Bicol Express Recipe

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The outcome of this Bicol Express Recipe can be described as pork cooked in coconut milk with shrimp
paste and chilies. No wonder the name of this dish was derived from a Philippine region (Bicol) wherein
Coconuts are abundant and the use of chilies is emphasized in most local meals.

There are stories saying that Bicol express was conceptualized and first cooked by Ms. Cely Kalaw in her
Manila restaurant sometime during the late 60’s to the early 70’s. Based on an article written by Angela
De Leon entitled Soul Train: The Unlikely Beginnings Of A Beloved Filipino Dish (published in Chile
Pepper Magazine last October 2006), Ms. Kalaw toned down the heat on her Taro dish (this could be
“Laing”) after receiving complains from some customers. However, she knew that other customers
wanted the Taro dish to be hot and spicy so she invented another amazingly spicy hot dish that would
best compliment the Taro. Thus, Bicol Express was born.

But how was she able to come up with the name? As per Angela’s article, the taro incident and new
spicy dish invention happened in just one day. Apparently, Ms. Kalaw finished cooking the new dish but
still cannot think of any name for it. As lunch time drew nearer, she was getting anxious because the
customers will soon flock-in and she has yet to name her newest masterpiece. At that moment, she
heard the daily train to Bicol ramble by the window. It was the light bulb moment that she was waiting
for.
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The information in the article about the origin of Bicol Express might be true, or not. There are many
claims that the original Bicol Express Recipe came from the Bicol region. We all know that Bicolano
dishes are delicious and pretty looking so there is a big possibility that this dish really originated from
the Bicol region. What do you think?

Try this Bicol Express Recipe and let me know what you think.

Bicol Express Recipe Print

5.0 from 2 reviews

Author: Vanjo Merano
Cuisine: Filipino Recipe
Prep time:  5 mins Cook time:  55 mins Total time:  1 hour
Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 cups coconut milk

2 lbs pork belly, cut into strips
½ cup Shrimp Paste
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
6 pieces Thai chili or Serrano pepper
3 tablespoons minced ginger
1 medium onion, minced
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a pan and then pour-in the cooking oil.

2. Sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger
3. Add the pork and then continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes or until the color becomes light brown
4. Put-in the shrimp paste and Thai chili or Serrano pepper. Stir.
5. Pour the coconut milk in. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the pork is tender
6. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste
7. Serve Hot. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 6

Watch the cooking video:

Bicol Express

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RECIPE INDEX
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 24 Responses


Manang
May 31, 2009

love the music…very nostalgic!!! VST & Co.

You rock!

Reply

cookingwaswi
August 12, 2009

hi, there. thx for sharing your talent in cooking. this is how i cook my bicol express here in Malaysia, and everybody
loves it, always patok ika nga! On friday, i’m gonna cook this one again for another potluck get together among
friends (somebody requested, ). p.s i do add chilli flakes for extra super dooper kick!

Reply

sharmayne
August 27, 2009

kuya, anong part ng baboy ang ginamit nio?

Reply

janice
January 21, 2010

the food was great..ang saarap the recipes helped me a lot thank you for uploading all the recipes..i will deffinetly
recommend this site to all my friends

Reply

Josie C.
February 17, 2010

i loved all ur recipes,i’m a massage therapist here in california n i told my filipino clients about u ur clling n they said
they will check ur website. thnks 4 sharing ur recipes. God bless u n ur family

Reply

Panlasang Pinoy
February 24, 2010

Thank you for commenting Josie and for spreading the word.

Reply

Panlasang Pinoy
April 20, 2010

Hi joan, welcome. Enjoy your stay!

Reply

Lai
April 25, 2010

Hi Kuya,

This video woud really help me a lot… especially i was getting off this week. I was planning to cook for my family and
this is the main dish… Can’t wait for them to criticize my cooking… hahaha

Thanks po….
 Reply

Cea
August 11, 2010

I tried this recipe yesterday and I’m very satisfied with it! yehey! I never really cook and so I thanked this site for the
very detailed instructions. I will surely comeback for more recipes. ^_^

Reply

sheila
November 16, 2010

hi kuya, thank u po pag upload n2

Reply

Ingo
July 12, 2011

actually bicol express was first cook and eaten in tutuban train station, was invented by some kainan there and cely
kalaw must have copied it from there! sa karindirya lang naimbento po ang bicol express by mistake ng taong alang
pangalan. tapos pinangalanan ng bicol express base on the train “bicol express”.. peace

Reply

Dom
August 28, 2011

hehe sorry po if I disapointed you pero sinulat ko lang ang narinig kong kwento and Tutuban is one of the
oldest PNR station sa atin so I wont be surprice if this was true.

Reply

sherwin
December 13, 2011

thank you bro.

Reply

alma
January 28, 2012

great website! it has added to my repertoire of recipes….. I was really getting fed up with always cooking adobo,
sinigang or nilaga…. now, i can cook other stuff as well and its sure to taste great… anyways, just wanted to ask if i
could use dried chili flakes instead of fresh chilies in the bicol express? thanks…

Reply

Mike Soriano
April 27, 2012

Awesome post! I’ve been looking for variations to techniques in cooking this dish. Tried it again last week. I guess I
need to tweak it some more. Thank you!

Reply

mercy sibay
April 21, 2014

Thank you for the recipe.

 Reply

Issa
April 22, 2014

Hello, Sir! Thanks for this recipe. My partner is such a good cook but he’s not familiar with Bicol Express.. He
followed these steps and added some tomatoes. The taste was remarkable!

Reply

dalia
March 23, 2015

hello Kuya Vanjo! can I use Jalapeno instead?

Reply

Vanjo Merano
March 23, 2015

Yes, Dalia. Jalapeno, Serrano, and Habanero are good alternatives.

Reply

Ahvic
September 19, 2015

Hello po. Just to ask, would it be fine not to put shrimp paste? My husband is allergic to that. Any alternative that will
not ruin the taste? Thank you!

Reply

Badz
October 2, 2015

thank you for your recipes

Reply

Ernie Barde
October 11, 2015

Thanks for sharing! PanlasangPinoy is one of the most popular website here in KSA . . More power to you & God
bless!!!

Reply

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