DIY: Steamed Pork Rice

Everybody knows that Cebu is famous for their tasty and succulent roasted pig, "Lechon". However, it is not known to tourists that Cebu is also popular for the Dim Sum dish, Steamed Pork Rice (a.k.a Pork Steamed Rice). During lunch hour, locals flock to the nearest Dim Sum resto and have a bowl of this famous dish. Its fast, easy, and delicious!

I remember when I was still in grade school, my mom used to bring me to Lumpia House or Harbor City everyday because I wouldn't eat anything else. I was addicted to this bowl of porky goodness, and to this day, it is still my go-to comfort food.

It's basically fried rice topped with a steaming  thick stew-like delicious mixture of pork and peas. The smell of the dish itself is enough to make my mouth water.Some like their steamed rice dry, but I love 'em soupy. I often pair this with fried wantons or shanghai rolls because they compliment the thick texture of the pork toppings, and if you add a little sweet and sour sauce it will make your taste buds roar. Trust me, your mouth is going to have a party once you taste this dish.

I tried this at home a few days ago, and it was gone in one sitting!

Try it and tell me what you think.

Steamed Pork Rice

Makes: 3
Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 green onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup green peas (frozen,fresh, or preserved)
1/2 cup dried shrimp (you may also use fresh medium sized shrimp, cleaned and deveined)
250 grams pork sirloin (cubed) - you may also use "adobo cut" pieces, just make sure to chop it into bite-size bits
1/2 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup of cold water
3 cups of water
1/4 cup soy sauce
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
3 cups fried rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil

How to cook:

1. Heat oil in pan. Saute garlic and onions until caramelized or until the onions are translucent.
2. Put in pork and stir occasionally until all sides are cooked. Season with salt and pepper. You may add the shrimps at this point.
3. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
4. Add in cornstarch mixture and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix well.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve on top of fried rice.

Tips:

• Fry rice in a tablespoon of sesame oil and add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to add color.Mix well.
• You can add artificial flavors (MSG), if desired.
• If you are using preserved peas or dried shrimp, make sure to wash thoroughly.
• You may add more cornstarch mixture if you want a thicker sauce.
• Best served when hot.

Enjoy!

請享用。

Vietnamese Fresh Springrolls Recipe

Surprisingly, I received a lot of recipe requests for this healthy roll of Viet goodness. I had fun making this because of the colors and the different textures of the ingredients, although the rolling part was a little tedious. This takes about 15 - 20 minutes to prepare just as long as you have chopped all the ingredients.

This is a great meal on it's own because it has a little bit of everything. meat, veggies, and noodles. Plus, the dipping sauce makes the dish a lot more refreshing.

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRINGROLLS

Ingredients:

Rolls- Rice paper 

          Lettuce (preferrably Asian, and NO THEY DONT HAVE SMALL EYES!)

          Mint leaves 

          Chinese Basil (you may also use Italian basil)

          Chives (choose the small or slim ones )

          Cucumber (pealed and sliced vertically)

          Vermicelli Noodles (cooked as instructed in the packaging, and don't forget to drain!)

          Pork Sirloin / Pork belly

          Shrimp (about 3-10 pieces, depending on your preference),you may substitute shrimps with tempura   or squidballs 

          Salt and pepper

Sauce- 1 tbsp. Creamy peanut butter

            1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce

            1 tsp Minced Garlic

            1 tbsp Vegetable oil

            1 tsp Sugar

            1/2 cup water

Procedure:

Rolls

1.       In a pot, boil pork until tender and add salt and pepper. Take the meat out of the water and slice into thin pieces once it's cool.

2.       Cook shrimp in the pork broth until red. Devein and cut in half. If you opted for squidballs or tempura, make sure you slice them into thin bite size pieces. 

3.       Dip rice paper in warm water for 1-2 seconds. And place in a flat surface

How To Roll  (Run! Here comes the tricky part!)

Imagine that the paper has three parts. 

The first one is for the veggies and the noodles,

 the second is for the pork, and the third part is for the shrimp.

• Arrange vegetables and noodles in the first part. Roll and fold the sides (1-3). 
• Next, place 2 slices of pork. Roll.
• Arrange the shrimp in the third part. Roll (4).

How To Make The Sauce

• Coat pan with vegetable oil. 
• Saute garlic until light brown
• Add in Hoisin Sauce, peanut butter, and sugar. Mix well.
• Add in water and let it simmer until the sauce is thick.
• Serve in a bowl.

Done! Done! Done! I hope you enjoy this refreshing dish as much as I did.

BON APETIT!

Sources: Vietnamfood.org

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