Bicol express

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 500 g pork belly, skin-on, cut into 2-cm cubes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp Filipino shrimp paste (bagoong), or 60 ml fish sauce
• 400 ml coconut cream
• 5 long red chillies, cut into 1-cm pieces, or to taste
• 5 long green chillies, cut into 1-cm pieces, or to taste
• salt, or fish sauce, to taste
• thinly sliced red and green bird’s eye chillies, for garnish
• lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over high heat. Fry the pork belly until lightly browned. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until the onion is soft.
2. Add the shrimp paste, coconut cream and about 250 ml (1 cup) water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until reduced by about half.
3. Add the sliced long chillies and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt or fish sauce to taste, then serve garnished with extra red and green chillies and lime wedges on the side.

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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