Regional recipes

Bicolano Filipino Recipes

Bicolano food loves gata and heat. These recipes show how coconut milk turns vegetables and leaves into rich ulam.

5 recipes in this collection.

Laing

Laing (Ginataang Dahon ng Gabi)

Slow-cooked dried taro leaves in coconut milk with pork, bagoong, and chili—rich, creamy, and unmistakably Bicolano.

Gulay sa Gata

Bicol-style ginataang gulay—chicken and vegetables in creamy coconut milk with kalabasa, sitaw, okra, labuyo...

Bicol Express sa Gata

Spicy Bicol express with pork belly, coconut milk, shrimp paste, and siling labuyo—the iconic Bicolano gata dish.

Kalabasa at Sitaw sa Gata

Chunky kalabasa and long sitaw in thick, pale-orange coconut cream—pure gulay gata ulam served with bagoong and calamansi on the side.

Alimango sa Gata

Whole crab in creamy gata with sitaw, kalabasa, ginger, and chili—thick Bicolano ulam made for rice, messy fingers, and second helpings.