Our theory is this: You can turn any Filipino dish into fantastic fried rice. So far, it's worked for us with sisig, sinigang, and palabok.
And now, we're proven right again with fiery, creamy Bicol Express.
This Bicol Express fried rice begins with jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk. This infuses the fragrant grains with a creamy coconut flavor, giving us a good base to build upon later. And once the rice dries out, you’ll notice that the coconut milk leaves a thin coat of coconut oil around the grains, ensuring that the grains stay separate (buhaghag!) when cooked.
The rest is quick and straightforward. Stir-fry pork, bagoong, and as much chilies as you like, which should be a lot! Dump the coconut rice in and toss everything together. If you have coconut milk powder on hand, add it by the spoonful to finish. It makes the coconut flavor much richer without adding liquid, which can turn your fried rice into mushy clumps.
