Name: Bicol Express
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes; 2 cans (13.5 oz each) coconut milk; 15-20 bird's eye chilies (siling labuyo), sliced — adjust to courage; 5 long green chilies (siling haba), sliced diagonally; 3 tbsp shrimp paste (bagoong alamang); 1 medium onion, sliced; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 2-inch knob ginger, julienned; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp sugar; Fish sauce to taste

A fiery Filipino stew of pork belly and shrimp paste simmered in coconut milk with an absurd number of chilies — born in Manila, named after a train.

The Cultural Story

The dish is named after a train. The Bicol Express was a passenger service running from Manila to the Bicol region in southeastern Luzon, and sometime in the 1960s a Manila restaurant used the name for a new dish inspired by the region's chili-and-coconut cooking tradition. The Bicolanos have been cooking pork with coconut milk and bird's eye chilies for centuries before any train existed — the train just made their cuisine famous to the capital. Traditional Bicolano cooking uses laing (dried taro leaves in coconut milk) and pinangat (taro parcels stuffed with shrimp), but Bicol Express became the ambassador: simple, aggressive, unapologetic. The shrimp paste — bagoong alamang — gives it an oceanic depth that the chilies amplify rather than hide. Proper Bicol Express should make you sweat. If it does not make you sweat, more chilies were needed.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cans (13.5 oz each) coconut milk
15-20 bird's eye chilies (siling labuyo), sliced — adjust to courage
5 long green chilies (siling haba), sliced diagonally
3 tbsp shrimp paste (bagoong alamang)
1 medium onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch knob ginger, julienned
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar
Fish sauce to taste

Instructions

1Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic, onion, and ginger until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes.
2Add pork belly and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Do not crowd — work in batches if needed.
3Add shrimp paste and stir to coat the pork. Cook 2 minutes, letting the paste fry slightly.
4Pour in coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a vigorous simmer.
5Add all the bird's eye chilies and long green chilies. Stir in sugar.
6Cook uncovered for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces and thickens and the oil from the coconut milk starts to separate and shimmer.
7Taste — it should be spicy, salty, rich, and slightly sweet. Adjust with fish sauce. Serve over white rice. Have water nearby.

Cook this with the full experience

Join FlavorBridge to explore authentic recipes from cultures around the world — with comments, ratings, and the stories behind every dish.

Open Interactive Recipe →