How to Cook Pork Bicol Express
Master authentic Filipino Pork Bicol Express by rendering pork belly, simmering in rich coconut milk and shrimp paste, and infusing with sliced finger chilies.
This guide shows how to cook pork bicol express in 50-60 minutes. Start with prep aromatics and chilies; follow the safety notes and step checkpoints below.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Wok or deep skillet
- ✓ Chef's knife
- ✓ Cutting board
- ✓ Wooden spatula
- ✓ Tongs
- ✓ Disposable food prep gloves
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 1 lb (500g) pork belly, cut into bite-sized cubes
- ✓ 1.5 cups coconut milk
- ✓ 1/2 cup thick coconut cream (kakang gata)
- ✓ 2 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (bagoong alamang)
- ✓ 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ✓ 1 medium red onion, diced
- ✓ 1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
- ✓ 5-8 green finger chilies (siling haba) and red bird's eye chilies, sliced
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Wear gloves while slicing bird's eye and finger chilies to prevent severe capsaicin burns on skin and eyes.
- • Be cautious of hot oil splatter when searing pork belly pieces with residual surface moisture.
- • Ventilate the kitchen well when frying shrimp paste and chilies to avoid respiratory irritation.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Prep Aromatics and Chilies
Dice the pork belly into uniform 1-inch cubes. Finely mince the garlic, dice the onion, slice the ginger into thin matchsticks, and diagonally slice the green and red chilies.
- • Evenly sized 1-inch pork cubes organized in a bowl.
- • Separated piles of minced garlic, diced onion, julienned ginger, and sliced chilies.
- • Cutting pork cubes too large, leading to uneven cooking and tough meat.
- • Touching face or eyes after chopping chilies without washing hands.
Render and Brown the Pork
Place the pork belly cubes into a dry, cold wok or skillet over medium heat. Let the natural fat render out, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula until the edges turn light golden brown.
- • Clear rendered pork fat pooling at the bottom of the pan.
- • Pork cubes displaying lightly browned, crisp outer edges.
- • Adding too much cooking oil initially instead of letting the belly fat render.
- • Overcrowding and stirring constantly, which steams the meat instead of browning.
Sauté Aromatics and Shrimp Paste
Push the pork cubes to the sides of the wok to create a well in the center. Add the ginger, garlic, and onions into the center fat, sautéing until fragrant, then add the shrimp paste (bagoong) and cook for 1-2 minutes until deeply aromatic.
- • Translucent onions and aromatic, softened garlic and ginger.
- • Shrimp paste darkened slightly and evenly distributed across the aromatics.
- • Burning the minced garlic before the ginger and onions soften.
- • Skipping the sauté step for the shrimp paste, leaving a harsh raw fishy taste.
Simmer in Coconut Milk
Pour in the 1.5 cups of coconut milk and bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and let it simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the pork becomes tender and the liquid reduces by half.
- • Gentle, steady bubbling across the surface without violent boiling.
- • Liquid thickened to a creamy gravy consistency and pork easily pierced by a fork.
- • Boiling on high heat, which curdles and separates the coconut milk into grainy flecks.
- • Letting the sauce cook dry before the pork is tender.
Add Chilies and Finish with Coconut Cream
Stir in the sliced finger chilies and bird's eye chilies, then pour in the 1/2 cup of thick coconut cream (kakang gata). Simmer uncovered for another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, creamy, and starts rendering rich coconut oil (nagmamantika).
- • Glossy, thick sauce coating the back of a spoon with visible chili rings.
- • Pockets of golden rendered coconut oil glistening around the pan edges.
- • Adding the fresh chilies too early in step 4, causing them to turn brown and mushy.
- • Stirring too aggressively after the coconut cream reduces, breaking the tender pork meat.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Friend-Cheap Menu — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Fermented shrimp paste (bagoong alamang)? Fish sauce (patis) with a pinch of brown sugar
- No Siling haba (green finger chilies)? Serrano peppers or jalapeño peppers seeded and sliced
- No Coconut cream (kakang gata)? Full-fat canned coconut milk reduced gently in a separate small saucepan