Bicol Express is a popular Filipino dish made with pork, coconut milk, and chili peppers. It was invented by Cely Kalaw in Manila and named after a passing train. The dish’s ingredients and cooking style are similar to those of neighboring Asian countries.
Bicol Express is one of the most popular Filipino dishes, usually consisting of pork slices, coconut milk, and lots of chili peppers. The dish is usually prepared as a stew, with the spicy coconut sauce poured over some rice. It may have evolved from a dish called “gulay na may lada” which means vegetables with chilli, which is a very similar dish, it just uses vegetables instead of pork.
It is very interesting to know that while the Bicol Express acquires the name of the Bicol region in the Philippines, it does not actually come from there. The style of cooking, however, originated from the region. Cely Kalaw, who was exposed to Bicolano cooking during her childhood in the region, invented the dish in the Malate district of Manila.
In several interviews, Cely Kalaw recounts that in the 1960s, she and her brother Etring launched a small restaurant in Malate called “The Grove – Luto ni Inay”, one of the first Filipino restaurants that offers a buffet. When some of her customers started complaining that her “laing” – a very spicy dish made of taro leaves and coconut milk – was too spicy, she decided to create a milder version of that dish. In turn, she prepared a dish together with Etring made from chilli, pork and coconut milk, and thus Bicol Express was created. The dish was intended as a partner to the now more ‘dominant’, especially for people who wanted more spiciness.
When Cely invited a few of her friends and food critics to try her new dish, she still had to come up with a name for it. The inspiration for the name literally came when the Bicol-bound train passed by the restaurant. Etring suggested calling the dish Bicol Express and it has stayed that way ever since.
In addition to the pork slices, coconut milk and green chiles, Bicol Express also consists of garlic, onion and a large portion of shrimp paste for flavoring. Green peppers can be chopped or cooked whole, although the latter will lend the dish a less spicy flavor. For people who have seafood allergies, shrimp paste can be replaced with fish sauce or salt.
Bicol Express is a unique Filipino dish, but its ingredients and cooking style are similar to those of other neighboring Asian countries. Its use of coconut milk as a main ingredient can also be seen in Indonesian and Thai cuisines, probably because all three countries – including the Philippines – have tropical climates and are abundant in coconuts. Affection of chillies can also be seen as a common factor, as can the use of prawn paste.
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