Natto with mustard served with coriander Japanese natto with karashi mustard & spring onion Malai Sondesh with cream, garnished with fresh cottage cheese and rosewater Malai Sondesh Bicol Express pork with coconut milk sauce and chilli peppers Bicol Express with Coconut Milk Galaktoboureko with lemon syrup, filo pastry and semolina filling Galaktoboureko with lemon syrup Broken wheat payasam with coconut milk and spices, rich Indian dessert Broken wheat payasam Lomo saltado served with beef and roasted vegetables Lomo Saltado with Roasted Vegetables Smoked meat pelmeni served with sour cream Russian smoked meat pelmeni Butter scones served All-butter puff scones Creamy spicy tomato soup served Spicy cream of tomato soup Taco bowl served Deconstructed taco bowl Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh Natto with mustard served with coriander Japanese natto with karashi mustard & spring onion Malai Sondesh with cream, garnished with fresh cottage cheese and rosewater Malai Sondesh Bicol Express pork with coconut milk sauce and chilli peppers Bicol Express with Coconut Milk Galaktoboureko with lemon syrup, filo pastry and semolina filling Galaktoboureko with lemon syrup Broken wheat payasam with coconut milk and spices, rich Indian dessert Broken wheat payasam Lomo saltado served with beef and roasted vegetables Lomo Saltado with Roasted Vegetables Smoked meat pelmeni served with sour cream Russian smoked meat pelmeni Butter scones served All-butter puff scones Creamy spicy tomato soup served Spicy cream of tomato soup Taco bowl served Deconstructed taco bowl Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh
Bicol Express pork with coconut milk sauce and chilli peppers
Filipino spicy stew in coconut sauce

Bicol Express with Coconut Milk

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses Quick Meals
Named after a train service, this dish is just as robust as its namesake. Bicol Express is the meeting of coconut milk's sweetness and the fire of chillies. The traditional recipe relies on 'bagoong' (shrimp paste) for that deep, savoury umami flavour that salt alone cannot replicate. During the slow simmering of the coconut milk, the oil separates, frying the meat and spices to perfection.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 45 mins
⌛ Total Time 1 hr
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 780 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Filipino

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Wok or deep frying pan

Allergen Information

⚠️ Crustaceans
⚠️ Fish

Instructions

1 ✓

Chop the onion and garlic, and slice the chillies into rings (deseed if you prefer it less spicy).

Tip: Most of the capsaicin (heat) is in the ribs and seeds.
2 ✓

Heat the oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the shrimp paste and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.

Tip: Frying the paste removes the raw, fishy smell and caramelises the flavours.
3 ✓

Add the pork cubes and fry until they turn white. Season with pepper.

Tip: Browning (Maillard reaction) deepens the flavour.
4 ✓

Pour in the coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer covered for about 25 minutes until the meat is tender.

Tip: The fat in the coconut milk tenderises the meat fibres.
5 ✓

Remove the lid, add the chillies, and continue cooking until the sauce thickens and the oil begins to separate at the edges.

Tip: As the water evaporates, the emulsion breaks, and the spicy oil coats the meat.

Recipe FAQ

The coconut milk separated (split).
This is not a mistake here, but the goal! The 'broken' coconut sauce indicates that the water has evaporated and the flavours have concentrated.

Ingredients

  • 500 g Pork shoulder (diced)
  • 400 ml Coconut milk (full fat)
  • 5 whole Green chillies (to taste)
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 1 medium Onion
  • 1 tbsp Shrimp paste (Bagoong) or anchovy paste
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 0.5 tsp Black pepper