Bicol Express

Ingredients

• 700 g pork belly or shoulder, cut into 2–3 cm cubes
• 400 ml full-fat coconut milk
• 150 g long green chillies, seeds removed from half the quantity, remainder left whole
• 30 g bird's eye chillies, left whole, seeds in
• 3 tbsp bagoong (shrimp paste)
• 80 g shallots, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp neutral oil

Method

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the bagoong and sauté, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes. The paste should lose its raw, aggressive pungency and mellow to a rounded, savoury aroma.
2. 2
   Add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook until the shallots are softened and translucent, 3–4 minutes, stirring to prevent the garlic from colouring.
3. 3
   Add the pork cubes and turn to coat in the paste. Cook over medium-high heat until the exterior of the pork is no longer pink on any side.
4. 4
   Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Add all the long green chillies and the bird's eye chillies. This is where the dish lives or dies: the chilli quantity must be committed to in full — timid reduction here produces a mild coconut pork that is not Bicol express. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fully tender and yields without resistance when pressed, and the coconut milk has reduced and concentrated, coating the pork rather than pooling beneath it. The surface of the sauce should show rendered fat separating and the colour will have deepened.
5. 5
   Taste and adjust for salt. The sauce should cling to the pork cubes. If the sauce remains pourable, continue reducing over medium heat until it thickens to a clinging consistency.