during my youth, our town market had one designated day as "sa-ud". town markets in albay province had a special day assigned as "market day". in guinobatan, albay, "sa-ud" is saturdays. vendors come from all over with all thier goods, such as town specialties, produce, poultries, meats, seafoods, etc. "sa-ud" is always a festive occassion.
well, what's this got to do with my recipe "bicol express ala barrio"? read on...
"mamay inga", my great grandma, takes me with her on market days of either Ligao (now a city) or Guinobatan.
she would buy "badi" (dried salted fish), "tamban" (dried smoked mackerels in bamboo skewers) or "inasal" (dried grilled stingray), occassionally "kulit" (dried grilled shaved carabao skin). always a MUST on market days is "balao" (salted shrimp fries with no added coloring or "alamang" in tagalog).
before the advent of "price by weight" & "plastic wrapper", balao was purchased by "utsaba" (a volume standard - "gatang" in tagalog) and packed in a coned banana leaf, lining an old newspaper. the banana leaf served as a cooler while the outer cover of old newsprint absorbed any leakage. how is that for recyling?
most of "may inga's" purchases were dried or salted because we lived in a barrio without electricity nor refrigeration.
these condiments would last for weeks before the next "sa-ud" day.
except for the "balao" which she stores in a covered glazed clay jar, all dried/salted items were hung on top of the kitchen's expose beam to air dry and coupled with the kitchen heat (when in use) reduce moisture. the high beam was also a deterent for our cats, known to snatch food.
don't get me wrong, "may inga" would also buy fresh fish & meat but they had to be cooked a.s.a.p. when we get home, since we did not have any "ice box" to keep them. we had “free-range/free-roaming” poultries, while eggs & vegetables were abundant in our backyard.
reflecting on my childhood memories,
i came up with some recipies i've learned thru observation & eating.
let me share with you the taste of "bicol express" cooked the barrio way with substituted ingredients that are locally available to me. it may not be as authentic but the taste is just as good.
living abroad, some ingredients can be difficult to find, so i resort to substitution or at times improvise.
as we bicolanos say "mabubuhay sa bakilid", literally means: "to survive on a cliff".
BICOL EXPRESS ala BARRIO
4 lbs jalapeño peppers
1/2 lbs serrano peppers
1 lb smoked or grilled mackerel
3 Tbsp balao/alamang or shrimp paste
2 (18 oz) cans coconut milk/cream
4-6 garlic cloves (crushed)
salt
IMPORTANT:
*wear disposable gloves when working with peppers
*light-up some aromatic candles/incense sticks or heat up some coffee grounds.
*turn air vent fan to the max
(1) remove from peppers: stems, seeds & center membranes and cut diagonally. soak in cold water and drain in a collander, shaking off more unwanted seeds out. 
(2) debone grilled/smoked mackerel and cut by hand into flakes or chunks. (3) use a heavy gauge 4-6 quarts pot, turn on heat to high.
(4) put crushed garlic with about 2 Tbsp of coconut milk in the pot and squash, as the coconut cream boils to near oily.
(5) make sure your vent is on to max & and your candles/incenses are lited.
(6) sauté your balao/alamang with the garlic and add one can of coconut milk/cream.
(7) let mixture boil, stir constantly so as not to stick & burn at the bottom of the pan. add all your your sliced pepper and stir to avoid over boiling.
(8) after the first boil, turn down heat to medium and simmer until liquid from the peppers have thinned out. occassionally stir the coocking peppers.
(9) mix in last can of coconut milk/cream and let boil, then fold in fish flakes/chunks.
(10) simmer until creamy (thick & a bit oily) sauce. add salt to taste.
for more authenticity your "bicol express" needs to be simmered until sauce is thick and "nag latab-latab" or "nag lana-lana", meaning until it sparkles with a glint of coconut oil floating. NOTE:
**when substituting dried salted fish for grilled mackerel, reduce amount of balao/shrimp paste or NONE at all.
**if you want your "bicol express" with a kick... do not remove seeds & membranes from the peppers. leave it on, be warned:
have a gallon of ice & water ready with your first taste.
**i used some ripe serranos to add color
AFTER YOU'VE EMPTIED THE POT,
DO NOT WASH OFF OR RINSE - MAKE SOME "NI-LINÔ".
after you've emptied the pot with the bicol express, get several scoops of left-over steamed rice "ba-aw" and wipe it in the pan with your laddle. the bicol express residues and scrappings from the pot sides will flavor your rice. add salt to taste. hmmmm! just like stir-fry/fried rice but better, "NI-LINÔ" or "LI-NINÔ" is always a treat.
LINÔ process also minimize your scrubbing/soap/water when you need to wash the pot. back then it was called "tipid" - frugal, but now it's the "IN" thing as in going GREEN. RECYCLE, save the earth! go ORGANIC! anyway, what ever it is...enjoy your this taste of bicol the old barrio way.
