Brief History:
Are you a fan of spicy coconut stew? Then this dish might be for you! For this week’s learning project, I learned how to cook Bicol Express. While it’s commonly known as a dish from the Bicol region of the Philippines, Esquire Philippines notes that it was actually popularized by Cely Kalaw—a native of Laguna who grew up in Bicol and later moved to Manila. The name Bicol Express was inspired by both the Bicol region and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) train route from Manila to Legazpi. Dishes from Bicol are known for their bold, spicy flavors, and Bicol Express is no exception. The star of this dish? Chili peppers—bringing the heat that defines Bicolano cuisine.
Ingredients:
This dish is composed of pork belly, coconut milk, coconut cream, shrimp paste, and green and red chilies.
Check out the detailed ingredients below:
- 1 kilo pork belly
- 1 cup thick coconut milk
- 1 cup thin coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons shrimp paste
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 red chilies (or more)
- 6 green chilies (or more)
Ginger is also recommended to neutralize the odor of the pork while frying and to enhance the flavor of the dish. One thumb-sized piece of chopped ginger will do. I wasn’t able to add it to my dish because we ran out—but it still turned out okay!
Online source:
I used Yummy Kitchen’s reel on Facebook as my guide for this week’s learning project. Although reels are known for being short, this one was surprisingly easy to follow. What I appreciated most was how informative it was despite its length. The captions clearly showed what to do next, which made the process smooth and enjoyable.
Cooking reels from Facebook and YouTube are surprisingly encouraging—they often feature new recipes that go viral, making them fun to try. I love how these bite-sized videos can spark creativity and confidence in the kitchen.
Reflection:
I can confidently say that my fourth learning project was a success! I was so happy with the result—the taste and consistency turned out just as I envisioned. Although I wasn’t able to include one of the ingredients (ginger), the dish was still flavorful and satisfying.
If there’s one thing I’d like to improve next time, it’s simmering the pork longer until it becomes tender. The pork was still a bit chewy and needed more time to soften, but overall, it was a great outcome. I’m so excited for my next cooking blog—can’t wait to explore another recipe and share the journey!
Disclaimer: Used Copilot as a grammar checker! 🙂