Ginataang sili (Bicol express)

Several posts ago, naging problema ko ang itatawag ko sa siling mahaba.  Farah sia from Cebu calls them siling espada, we call them siling pansigang or siling mahaba and they’re chilli picante for the supermarket people. Maxi helped me to  conclude it’s one variety of cayenne pepper.  Dahil wala akong reader na pepperologist (hehe),  cayenne pepper it is.

Alam ‘nyo na siguro kung anong parte ng sili, any kind of sili, ang maanghang? It’s the seeds, of course. Those killer  red chili flakes sa mga pizza joints? Dried buto ng siling labuyo ‘yon.

If you want the taste of pepper pero mahina kayo sa anghang, tanggalin ang mga buto ng sili. While you’re at it, remove the pith, too. ‘Yun ang laman ng sili na kinakapitan ng mga buto.

But be careful not to touch your eye area or your lips when you’re deseeding peppers. Wash your hands very well or better yet, dip your fingers in a bowl of milk before washing them.

You can control the spicy kick of your Bicol express by varying the number of cayenne pepper you use with the seeds still intact. For this recipe, hindi ko inaalis ang buto sa 8 pieces of sili before I slice them. Careful, guys, maanghang na ‘to even for me.

Ingredients:

1/2 K kasim or liempo, cut about 1 inch thick (I prefer kasim, less taba)

Pure cream extracted from 3 medium sized coconut (about 3 cups)

28-30 pieces of cayenne pepper (siling pansigang)

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp minced ginger (optional, yup, puwedeng wala nito)

2 tbsp shrimp paste or bagoong (would you believe optional din ito?)   you can substitute a good kind of patis if you are allergic to bagoong.