Filipino Food: Bicol Express

Bicol Express (Bikol: Sinilihan) is a popular Filipino dish which was popularized in the district of Malate, Manila but made in traditional Bicolano style.It is a stew made from long chilies (siling mahaba in Tagalog, lada panjang in Malay/Indonesian), coconut milk, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, and garlic.

It is said to have evolved from gulay na may lada, another Bicolano dish which is nowadays presented as one of the many variants of Bicol Express.

Bicol Express was named after the passenger train service from Manila to the Bicol region, a region in the Philippines famous for its spicy cuisine.

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Ingredients

• 1/4 kilo pork, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Baguio beans
• 3 cups long chili or jalapeno peppers
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 head of garlic, minced
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Procedure

1. In a bowl of water with salt, soak chili peppers for 30 minutes then rinse and strain.
   
   
2. In a cooking pan, heat cooking oil and brown sliced pork for a few minutes.
   
   
3. In another pan, saute the minced garlic and onion.
   
   
4. Add to the saute garlic and onion the browned pork.
   
   
5. Then add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
   
6. Add the chili peppers, Baguio beans and cook until dish gets a little dry.
   
   
7. Add the coconut cream and simmer until the sauce thickens.
   
   
8. Salt to taste.
   

Sources:
http://www.pinoyrecipe.net/bicol-express-recipe/#axzz2A6gZEy6S