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At six years old, chef Jorge Miguel Mendez would wake up early in the morning, sneak out of his room, turn on the stove, and cook his favorite polvoron the way he knew how. He had to make sure his parents were still asleep, or else he would get scolded for playing with fire.
He did get caught, eventually, but instead of being reprimanded, his mom Mercy got a pan and taught him how to make polvoron the proper way.
Jorge currently works in the kitchen of Vask Gallery restaurant
Such is the care of his mother Mercy. Whenever she cooked spaghetti for the family, she would set aside some Filipino-style tomato sauce for young Jorge who would use it to make his pizza pandesal. And when he would request for any of her dishes, she was quick to go to the market and prepare it for him.
She has always been encouraging, even if things didn’t favor her way. She was initially against Jorge’s decision to drop high school, stay at home to study and gain more cooking experience. But she eventually understood his case and supported his decision by staging impromptu cooking sessions with him.
Then she became busy fulfilling duties as a public school teacher, consequently having less time to cook at home. Still, when the occasion called for it, and despite her hectic job, she managed to prepare delicious meals. Before Jorge he left for Boracay, for instance, where he was assigned to work in Discovery Shores, mother Mercy cooked pork ribs with string beans for dinner and had everyone in the family feast over it.
He went on to work in many other restaurants including Ninyo and L’Incontro, learning stuff no book can ever teach him — from breaking cuisine boundaries to how to work well with other people. But given all the professional know-how he picked up along the way, it’s those he learned at home that holds much bearing and that he truly holds close to heart.
“My mom cooks a lot, but Bicol Express is the one dish she couldn’t cook,” Jorge says. “Ayaw niya subukan kasi takot siya na baka di kami masarapan. That’s the reason why I made this dish for her. I want to let her know, like what she has showed me growing up, that everything is going to be okay.”
Crispy Bicol Express
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
500g grams pork belly
rock salt, as needed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, minced
1-inch ginger, peeled and minced
5 teaspoons shrimp paste, divided
1 ¾ cups coconut cream
7 pieces red bird’s eye chili, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Make:
1. Divide the pork. Slice two 100-gram blocks, and slice the remaining pork belly into 2-inch thick strips. Set aside the latter. Wrap the pork blocks with foil, leaving just the skin part exposed. Cover the skin with rock salt. Place in a preheated 300F oven and roast for 2 hours.
2. In the meantime, in a pan over medium heat, render the fat from pork strips. Fry for 2 minutes on each side.
3. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
4. Add 3 teaspoons shrimp paste. Saute.
5. Pour in coconut cream and add chili. Simmer until thick.
6. Add remaining shrimp paste and adjust taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
7. Preheat deep fryer to 370F. Dip skin part of pork on a shallow bowl of water. Place in a deep fryer and cook until skin is crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil. Slice each block into 4 equal portions.
8. Plate Bicol Express then top with crispy pork. Serve.
