PINOY FOOD RECIPE : ARROZ ALA CUBANA

 

I could hardly recall that I would bring a lunch box during elementary & high school. My folks would hand me my school money, enough to last a day. We have a school cafeteria with a snack bar and only one catering vendor so the food choices were limited.

Back then, I do not mind the few choices since the owner of the caterer vendor was not only pleasant and very accommodating to us but she had some delicious dishes which became my favorites.

One favorite was her creation of Arroz ala Cubana. I look forward to the combination of this simple yet filling dish since it consists of ground meat, sunny side up egg and fried bananas. It was such a comfort food at that time.

Over the years, Arroz ala Cubana was one of the simple dishes I would whip whenever I had these main ingredients. This would usually be when I make my Pinoy Sweet-Style Spaghetti.

Allow me to share with you this PINOY FOOD RECIPE : ARROZ ALA CUBANA with a few tweaks I made over the years. This recipe can be for one when you are hungry or for two for modest munching.

   

Ingredients :

*Scroll down for Cooking Tips

¼ Kg. Lean Ground Pork

4 Cloves Garlic

1 Small White Onion (1/4 cup, diced)

1 Medium Potato (1/2 cup, diced)

2 Eggs

3 Saba Banana (Plaintains, cut into strips)

1 Bell Pepper (diced)

½ Cup Canned Diced Tomatoes

1T-2T Brown or Muscovado Sugar (for tomatoes)

Chili Powder (optional)

Salt & Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

Procedure :

1)    Fry Bananas, drain and set aside.

2)    Sauté onions until translucent then add garlic, continue to sauté until garlic turns golden and more aromatic.

3)    Add ground pork and 1/3 bell pepper then sauté for five minutes.

4)    Drain potatoes and toss in with ground pork. Add in tomatoes and bell pepper then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.

5)    Place eggs on top, without breaking the yolk and cover while in low heat. Cover pan.

6)    Once eggs are cooked for about 2 to 3 minutes, turn-off heat and serve while hot. Fried bananas served on the side.

Enjoy this simple and easy to cook PINOY FOOD RECIPE : ARROZ ALA CUBANA.

Cooking Tips :

  

Use white onions for a sweeter dish.

Soak potatoes in water with a dash of salt to avoid browning.

Opt to add some sugar to tomatoes as desired.

I added some bell pepper the moment I dropped the ground pork to avoid that raw pork smell and make this dish more fragrant.

Common Arroz ala Cubana found in the Philippines do not often use tomatoes. I opted to add some left over tomato sauce from another recipe and became my regular Arroz ala Cubana recipe from then on. If I do not have any canned diced tomatoes, I use spaghetti sauce.

 

  

If you LOVE food and easy to whip up recipes to cook for your friends and family, looking for delicious food and awesome travel inspirations then follow me at Instagram as I often share easy recipes, food discoveries and stunning travel destinations via @eattoyourheartscontent.

This PINOY FOOD RECIPE : ARROZ ALA CUBANA is part of my Monday Madness here at Eat To Your Heart’s Content.

I hope you continue to join me as I search for more deliriously delicious dining destinations, food discoveries and easy to create recipes here at Eat To Your Heart’s Content. Until next post, as I always say, live well, laugh often and eat to your heart’s content!

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Pie Rivera is a former food columnist of Republic of 7107 Island Travel Magazine and a freelance food & travel writer for local magazines and online travel communities. She is a TV producer and creative director by day and wanderlust at heart.

Pie Rivera captured all photos in this site, unless otherwise stated.

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