Bicol Express

A fitting tribute to people who love coconut and spicy food is Bicol Express, a fiery chili, pork and coconut milk stew. It was popularized in the district of Malate in Manila but made in traditional Bicolano style. The stew is made from long chilies (siling mahaba in Tagalog, lada panjang in Malay/Indonesian), coconut milk, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, and garlic. It is said to have been inspired by the fiery Bicolano dish gulay na may lada, which is nowadays presented as one of the many variants of Bicol Express.