It has been taken for granted that the dish Bicol express originated in Bicol and is an indigenous recipe from that region. Cely Kalaw, owner of The Grove – Luto ng Inay, the restaurant that first served this fiery concoction, is actually from Los Baños. Did you know that the reason why Bicol Express was invented is because of the famous dish called laing?
The restaurant owners concocted this dish because many costumers were complaining that the laing they serve is too spicy but there are also some customers who wanted to eat spicy laing. So in order to solve the problem, they cut down the peppers on the laing and created Bicol express so that they can add it to the laing for customers who wants hot and spicy laing.
How to Cook Bicol Express
Ingredients
- 1/4 kilo green long chili siling pang-sigang
- 1/2 cup pork sliced in strips
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cups thick coconut milk
- 2 tsp. bagoong or shrimp paste
Instructions
- Remove stems from the green chilies and cut lengthwise to remove seeds. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces.
- In a casserole combine the pork, garlic, onion and coconut milk.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until pork is tender.
- Add the sliced chilies and continue cooking until chilies are soft and sauce is thickened.
- Add shrimp paste to taste.