The Bicol Region is well known as the land of spicy dishes, with its generous helping of hot chilis on almost everything. And if you are a fan of the local cuisine, you will be raring for more. Here are some of the best Bicolano recipes you can whip up right at home.
Bicolano recipe no. 1: Kinunot
Kinunot is one of the unique Bicolano seafood dishes that you would want to try out. This dish combines fish meat with a generous helping of malunggay leaves and coconut milk. There is also the ever-present chilis for that familiar spicy taste.
One interesting thing to note is that the recipe originally uses either shark or stingray (pagi) meat. However, as consumption of both kinds of fish is now prohibited by law, we will use regular fish instead. Tanigue makes a good substitute and is easy to find in most marketplaces.
Ingredients
- 500 grams tanigue
- 1 cup malunggay leaves
- 1 grated coconut (kakang gata)
- 4 pieces green finger chili (siling pansigang)
- 2 pieces red chili pepper (siling labuyo)
- 1 small ginger, crushed
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped and divided
- ½ cup vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup of water
Steps
- Bring the water to boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the tanigue and ginger and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the water and set aside to cool.
- Remove the fish skin and flake the meat using a pair of forks. Season with vinegar, salt, pepper, and two cloves of the crushed garlic. Marinate for an hour.
- Heat the coconut milk and onions in a separate pan over medium heat. Stir continuously for 3 minutes.
- Drain the marinade from the tanigue flakes. Mix the flakes into the coconut milk mixture and boil until mostly dry. Add the malunggay leaves, green and red peppers, and the kakang gata.
- Boil until the amount of liquid is reduced by half. Serve while hot.
Bicolano recipe no. 2: Tilmok
Tilmok is another must-try Bicolano recipe for seafood enthusiasts. The star of the show this time around is crab or shrimp meat, which is combined with coconut meat and steamed in banana leaves. You can eat this as it is or with a dipping sauce like in this recipe.
Ingredients
- ½ kilo of crab or shrimp meat, seasoned with 1 ½ tablespoon of salt
- 600 grams young coconut meat, grated
- 20-30 fresh gabi (Taro) leaves
- 2 pieces siling labuyo
- 6-8 pieces tanglad, use only the while lower portions and crush them
- 3-4 cups pure coconut milk
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 6 cloves garlic
Sauce
- 2 cups thick coconut cream
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 stalks tanglad, use the lower white stalks, crushed
- 3-5 spring onions, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Steps
- Mix the crab/shrimp meat, coconut meat, onions, ginger, garlic, and sili. Use a large knife or a food processor to finely chop everything until you have a consistency similar to cornmeal.
- Place several gabi leaves together in an overlapping manner. Put 3 tablespoons of the crab meat mixture on top of the leaves.,
- Wrap the exposed edges of the leaves around the mixture. Use a piece of string to tie the edges together and secure the packets.
- Line the bottom of a heavy pot with the crushed tanglad. Place the wrapped packets on top.
- Pour the coconut milk on the top of the wrapped packets. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat. Shake the pot once to prevent burning.
- You will know that the tilmok is cooked when the gabi leaves are soft or when most of the coconut milk has evaporated.
- To prepare the dipping sauce, put the thick coconut cream, shallots, garlic, and lemongrass. Season and simmer until you get a thick creamy sauce. Sprinkle with spring onions.
- Arrange the cooked tilmok packets and in a wide platter and top with the sauce.
Bicolano recipe no. 3: Kadingga
This one is different from most Bicolano recipes in that it doesn’t drown in a lot of coconut milk. However, it still retains the trademark spicy flavor of the region’s dishes. The dish has also been compared to bopis in terms of preparation.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces of pork heart
- 300 grams of pork lungs
- 500 grams pork neck with skin on
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large red onion, minced
- 4 pieces of bay leaves
- 1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup of coconut milk
- 1 ½ cups cane vinegar
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 45 pieces siling labuyo, finely chopped
- 2 stalks tanglad
- Fish sauce
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Oil
Steps
- Combine the pork meat, lemongrass, 1 cup of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of salt in a pot. Add enough water to cover the meat.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat is tender but not yet fully cooked.
- Remove and let the meat cool down. Dice the meat finely and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the garlic and onions.
- Add the siling labuyo, chopped meat, and bay leaves. Stir fry for around 10 minutes.
- Put in the bell pepper, ½ cup of vinegar, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer in high heat until the sauce becomes thick. Add more vinegar to suit your taste.
- Add the coconut cream and season with fish sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes and serve.
Savor Bicol with these dishes
These Bicolano recipes are a great addition to your menu if you are craving more than the usual Bicol express or laing. And even if you aren’t completely a fan, these dishes will still make your mouth water. Prepare these and let your family enjoy the cuisine from down south without leaving your home.