Bicol Express: Spicy Filipino Coconut Pork
Dan
Spicy Filipino pork | Coconut milk | Bicol-inspired
Bicol Express is creamy, salty, spicy, and built for rice, with pork simmered in coconut milk and chiles until rich.
Why make it: This version lets home cooks control the heat while keeping the coconut-bagoong backbone of the dish.
Fresh From the Kitchen
These photos show the colors, textures, and serving style to look for when making Bicol Express.
What Is Bicol Express?
Bicol Express is a Filipino pork dish cooked with coconut milk, chiles, aromatics, and shrimp paste. It is named after the train route and associated with Bicol's chile-rich cooking.
Why You Will Love It
- Practical for U.S. kitchens: the recipe uses ingredients and substitutions a home cook can realistically shop for.
- Built for the table: the serving notes match how the dish usually lands in Filipino-American homes, from weeknights to merienda to parties.
- Flexible without erasing the dish: swaps are named clearly so the original idea stays visible.
- Easy to cook through: the shopping list, timings, and storage notes make the recipe straightforward to test and adjust.
Ingredient Notes
For the pork
Shoulder is meaty; belly is richer. A mix works well.
For heat control
Use long green chiles for flavor and Thai chiles for sharper heat.
Bicol Express Recipe
This version lets home cooks control the heat while keeping the coconut-bagoong backbone of the dish.
Shopping List
- pork shoulder or belly
- coconut milk
- coconut cream
- bagoong
- Thai chiles
- long green chiles
- onion
- garlic
- ginger
- rice
Ingredients
Pork Base
- 2 pounds pork shoulder or belly, cut into small pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons bagoong
Coconut and Chiles
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 4 long green chiles, sliced
- 2 to 6 Thai chiles, to taste
For Serving
- Steamed rice
- Calamansi wedges, optional
Instructions
- Cook pork in a wide pan until some fat renders.
- Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant.
- Stir in bagoong.
- Add coconut milk and simmer until pork is tender.
- Add long chiles and Thai chiles.
- Stir in coconut cream and simmer until thick and glossy.
- Taste and adjust bagoong or chiles before serving.
Tips For The Best Bicol Express
- Cut pork small: Small pieces become tender faster and coat with sauce.
- Simmer coconut gently: Hard boiling can make the sauce oily.
- Build heat gradually: You can add more chiles near the end.
- Serve with plenty of rice: The sauce is intense by design.
How To Serve And Store
Serve hot with rice and something fresh on the side. Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Common Questions
Can I make it mild?
Yes. Use long green chiles and skip or reduce Thai chiles.
Can I use chicken?
Yes, but simmer for less time.
Is bagoong required?
It gives the dish its salty depth, but adjust to taste.
Can I add vegetables?
Green beans or wing beans can be added near the end.
How hot should Bicol Express be before it stops being fun? Share your family version or testing notes in the comments.
Recipe inspiration and technique reference: Filipino home-cooking source research from Panlasang Pinoy, Kawaling Pinoy, and Filipino-American cooking sources in the site roadmap.
