Dinailan is one of the most stinky foods in Bicol, that you would hate it while it’s being cooked. But why is it that Bicolanos love this smelly dish called, Dinailan, and it’s almost like Bicol Express? Dinailan is creamy, salty, sour and savory dish usually paired with fried fish and cups of steamed rice. This is a favorite of those who love to go on a picnic.
While Bicol Express use fermented shrimps, Dinailan is a shrimp paste made from very small crustaceans, sun-dried for one day, ground and pounded for two more days, then formed into cylinders or cubes.
Dinailan Grated coconut meat Grated coconut meat with dinailan Coconut meat mix with Dinailan Coconut milk with Dinailan Red onions, garlic, chili, ginger Iba or Kamias Sliced Iba or Kamias
Here’s the cooking process:
Combine grated coconut meat with dinailan, extract the pinkish liquid from it (mix of coconut milk and Dinailan). Slice onions, garlic, and a souring ingredient, for this one, we use Iba or Kamias. Put all these in a pan, simmer until the mixture turns viscous.
Please be warned that when cooking Dinailan, as I say, you wouldn’t like its stinky smell. Better to open your windows and let the air-out. It’s extremely pungent. I would suggest that you cook this when your neighbors are out. 🙂
The total cost of this dish is less than PhP100.00 or around $2.00.