Bicol Express

A regional dish with shrimp paste cooked with coconut milk, plenty of chilies, and some pork.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Filipino

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 368kcal

Cost $13-$15

Rinse the raw shrimp paste under cold running water a few times to remove the salt and pick out any foreign objects.
Place the pork in a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot. Add about 1 cup of water, a bay leaf, 2 smashed garlic, a generous pinch of salt, and some pepper.
Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes until the meat becomes tender and most of the water has evaporated.
Remove the lid and allow the remaining water to evaporate. Render the fat from the pork and lightly brown the meat, tossing it constantly. Be careful, as they may splatter.
Transfer the meat to a plate and remove excess pork fat.
Add a bit of oil and saute the ginger for a minute. Then add the onion and 4 minced garlic; cook until softened for about 2 minutes.
Add half of the chili peppers, then sauté for about a minute or longer if you wish to reduce the spiciness.
Add the shrimp paste and spread it out to let most of the water evaporate. Once it starts to dry out, add some oil and sauté for a minute to develop its flavor.
Pour the coconut milk, then mix them together while scraping the fond or browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Taste to see if it needs a little sugar to balance the flavors.
When it starts to simmer, add the meat and mix them together. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes to absorb all the delicious flavors. You can add a bit of water, if necessary.
Add the rest of the chili peppers and turn off the heat.

Pork: I used pork belly—great flavor and texture, though very fatty. Pork shoulder or butt is another good option. It is inexpensive and has good marbling (white lines of fat between the lean meat).
Raw shrimp paste: These are krill or tiny shrimp fermented with a ton of salt. They come in many forms, sometimes called salted shrimp. Buy the raw, fresh variety that isn't ground or crushed.
Sugar: I added some sugar to balance the saltiness of the dish. Some recipes use chopped pineapple instead.
Long hot peppers: You can use other types of peppers, like jalapeños or Korean peppers, as little or as much as you want. You can remove their seeds and rinse them in hot water if you want to reduce the heat.