Cebu Style Pork Steamed Rice Recipe

This recipe is from our previous contributor, Mai who is a Cebuana and now a chef. Oh, and yes, we’ve been to Dimsum Break at SM North Edsa many times already. Check out our review.

Everytime I go home to Cebu (fyi, I’m a pure Cebuana), I always see to it that I get to eat at Harbour  City Dimsum. One of their most popular, and my favorite, dish is their Pork Steamed Rice. For me, they serve the best steamed rice in Cebu! They also serve the best dimsum I’ve had in my life. Seriously!

Dimsum Break's Original Steamed Fried Rice

We’ve actually tried finding a place here in Manila where they serve Steamed Rice cooked just like in Cebu. But, so far, we haven’t found any Chinese restaurant that serves it (if you know of one, let me know at the comments section!). (UPDATE: Dimsum Break finally opened in Metro Manila in 2012! Woot!)

So, just like with any other dish I crave for, I decided to make it at home and serve it the same way Harbour City Dimsum does. And, I’m sharing my homestyle recipe with you.

Cebu Style Steamed Rice Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
(Apologies if there are no measurements. We’ll try to improve on that next time! But, we usually just taste, adjust or add more, ’til we get the desired taste — We added the measurements.)

Servings: 3-4 bowls

  • 1/4 to 1/2 kg Pork Tenderloin – depends on how much pork you want in there
  • 5-8 pieces Shrimp
  • 1/4 cup Green Peas (not the canned ones please!)
  • 1 small Onion,  chopped
  • 2-3 pieces Garlic, crushed/pressed
  • 2-4 tablespoons Soy Sauce – adjust based on your preference. We used Kikkoman.
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tbsps. Cornstarch
  • 1 cup Pork Broth
  • Rice

Note: Please read the comments as one of the posters mentioned that adding rice wine and clam juice, plus a different soy sauce, made a difference.

Note 2: There’s another recipe shared by one of the comment posters (Ann), and you can see it at the bottom of this post.

 

PROCEDURE:

1. Pour oil in a hot pan and sauté onions and garlic for about 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add pork and mix until the pork’s fat starts to ooze out. Then, add shrimp and stir for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then, add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.

3. Adjust heat to medium and stir. Add a cup of pork broth (you can use pork cubes dissolved in a cup of warm water) and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes. Then, add 2 teaspooons of Worcestershire sauce.

4. Dissolve cornstarch in a half cup of cold water, then, add it to the pan, just enough to thicken the sauce. Stir continuously, then, add the fresh green peas.

Note: Please do not use the ones in can.

Cebu Style Steamed Rice Recipe - CertifiedFoodies.com

 

5. Let it boil for about 3 to 5 more minutes and, then, serve it on top of rice.

I served ours in our soufflé bowls so they’ll look a bit closer to how Harbour City Dimsum serves their Steamed Rice.

Cebu Style Steamed Rice - CertifiedFoodies.com

 

Cebu Style Steamed Rice in Manila - CertifiedFoodies.com

I wasn’t really able to get the exact taste from Harbour City Dimsum, but, the result of this recipe really tastes good. Michelle and I both enjoyed it. It sure did help satisfy my craving and how much I miss Cebu Style Steamed Rice.

Update: We’re sooooo happy to know that Dimsum Break finally opened here in Manila!! Check out our review (branch: SM North Edsa).

This recipe is from our previous contributor, Mai who is a Cebuana and now a chef.

 

Steamed Rice Version II

UPDATE 2: We received a ton of suggestions on how to make this taste closer to Dimsum Break or Harbour City. Here’s one of the recipes shared by Ann (see comment below this post) that you might want to try. Many have mentioned that the actual recipe calls for sesame oil, which is included in the recipe below.

1. Fry the rice with garlic and oyster sauce, then set that aside.

2. In another pan, sauté garlic until brown.

3. Add the cubed pork with some fat (tastes better than just lean pork) and sauté.

4. Add chicken stock or if using chicken Knorr cubes, add water.

5. Let it boil until pork is tender, then add chopped shrimps (you can use the cooked salad shrimps too), then the frozen peas.

6. Add soy sauce per your taste, a tsp. of rice wine to enhance the taste, and sesame oil.

7. Then add cornstarch, diluted in cold water, gradually, to your topping mixture, while stirring until it reaches a thicker consistency.

8. Sprinkle chopped green onions. Place the fried rice in individual bowls, and pour your gravy/topping over the rice.

Marty’s Baconette Strips – Oishi’s New Snack!

My partner and I love munching on different snacks or chips when we’re watching our favorite TV series or movies at home after a long day at our internet cafe. And, for the past week, we are in love with Oishi‘s new product – Marty’s Baconette Strips.

Oishi Marty's Baconette Strips Snacks - CertifiedFoodies.com

Marty’s Baconette Strips are bacon-flavored snacks so if you’re worried about too much fat or calories, then, this snack is for you. It’s actually very light and Mai can’t stop munching on them. The flavor is close to how bacon should taste like so I’m also addicted to it.

Continue reading Marty’s Baconette Strips – Oishi’s New Snack!

I Love Red Mango Frozen Yogurt!

One of the things that I’m absolutely addicted to nowadays is frozen yogurt. I’m addicted to the regular yogurt, too, but, enjoying a cup or tub of froyo can really freshen up my mood. I mean, it’s healthful and really yummy! So, I now opt to having frozen yogurt over ice cream anytime!

So far, I’ve only tried frozen yogurt being offered by 3 stores – Red Mango, The White Hat, and Yoh-Gurt. All I can say is I enjoyed all of them, but, I love the first 2 more.

Red Mango at SM Mall of Asia - CertifiedFoodies.com

Last time we were at SM Mall of Asia, Mai and I headed out to Red Mango to try out their frozen yogurt. I told Mai that I HAVE TO try all the frozen yogurt stores in MOA because I want to compare them to know which store offers the best frozen yogurt in town. And, I’m happy to say that Red Mango did not disappoint.

Continue reading I Love Red Mango Frozen Yogurt!

Shepherds Pie Inspired Cottage Pie : Recipe + Photos

Michelle and I love comfort food. Ever since I found out about Shepherd’s Pie while watching our favorite foodie TV shows, I’ve been dying to make it myself. Shepherd's Pie turned Cottage Pie on a Plate - CertifiedFoodies.com I’ve watched Chef Gordon Ramsay‘s version of making Shepherd’s Pie on Youtube and he actually made it very easy (the video after the jump). Shepherd’s Pie is actually made of minced lamb. And since lamb is rarely available and usually expensive here in the Philippines, I tried using beef mince for this recipe I’ll be sharing today. So, technically I made a Cottage Pie. Both Cottage and Shepherd’s Pies don’t have bottom pastry crusts unlike standard pies. They are actually traditionally made with leftover roast meat, but, are now often made with ground meat, mostly beef or lamb, and topped with mashed potato. Continue reading Shepherds Pie Inspired Cottage Pie : Recipe + Photos

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce Recipe

(The article and recipe are from one of our past contributors – Mai)

I’ve had this craving for Vietnamese Spring Rolls like forever. The only place I know that serves it is a restaurant in Trinoma in Quezon City. We haven’t had time to go there again so I decided to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls myself at home.

Vietnamese Spring Roll with Garlic Peanut Butter Sauce - CertifiedFoodies.com

Here’s a simple recipe of Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Butter Sauce that you can easily make at home. Some of you might not be comfortable using peanut butter for a dip or sauce, but, it’s actually good.

Continue reading Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Quick Lunch at Tokyo Cafe + Mall of Asia Branch Review

Quick Lunch at Tokyo Cafe in SM Mall of Asia - CertifiedFoodies.com

Last Wednesday, Mai and I went out for our planned “movie date”. We watched Inception and Salt on the same day and I can say that I enjoyed both movies. Anyway, this post isn’t about those 2 movies, but, about where we had lunch. *grin*

The night before, Mai and I discussed (read: check menus, prices, etc) and decided on what new restaurant we’re going to try next. We found Tokyo Café‘s website and was immediately fascinated by the wide variety of dishes they have on their menu. Just look at these!

Note: This is just a part of their menu. If you want to check out all of it, please go to their website.

Tokyo Cafe menu 1 - CertifiedFoodies.com Tokyo Cafe menu 2 - CertifiedFoodies.com
Tokyo Cafe menu 3 - CertifiedFoodies.com Tokyo Cafe menu 4 - CertifiedFoodies.com

 

Mai and I were actually planning on ordering a light meal before we watch our first movie, but, we were really hungry by the time we arrived at MOA. So, we decided to order lunch instead.

Continue reading Quick Lunch at Tokyo Cafe + Mall of Asia Branch Review

We Love Subway Sandwiches!

Subway Sandwiches and MOA branch review - CertifiedFoodies.com

Subway is the world’s largest submarine sandwich restaurant and for years, we’ve wanted to try one of their sandwiches. Mai is not really into sandwiches before I came along so now that we both love it, we decided to try Subway’s famous sandwiches at their branch in SM Mall of Asia.

Did you count how many times I said “sandwich” in the above paragraph? Expect more. *grin*

Subway branch in MOA - CertifiedFoodies.com

Subway has a wide range of sandwiches you can choose from. Here’s their menu:

Subway complete menu - CertifiedFoodies.com

Mai ordered the Spicy Italian sandwich (PhP 125), and I ordered the Subway Melt sandwich (Php 150, with sliced chicken, ham and bacon).

To start, we were asked what bread we want. We can choose between Italian, Wheat, Honey Oat and Parmesan Oregano. I chose Wheat, Mai chose the last one.

Continue reading We Love Subway Sandwiches!

Steak Diane Recipe : Inspired by Gordon Ramsay

Steak Diane - based on Gordon Ramsey's recipe - CertifiedFoodies.com

I’ve always wanted to eat at a fine dining restaurant but it’s too expensive for me. Whenever I see people on TV eating at fine dining restaurants, they all seemed too satisfied and happy with the food they were served. Not sure if I’ll ever be willing to spend at least Php 2,000 (about $44) for a single meal, with very liltle serving. I’d rather spend that much money on other things. BUT, I still want to try out some fine dining food.

So, a few days ago, we had our very first Steak day. For lunch, I decided to make Steak Diane, one of Chef Gordon Ramsay’s main courses in Hell’s Kitchen, just to experience a little taste of fine dining at home. 😀

I saw this recipe in one of the episodes from Hell’s Kitchen and I was a bit excited about making it myself. I, then, watched a video from Youtube where Chef Gordon made Steak Diane for his show The F Word. He really made it look like it’s so easy to cook.

That’s what I like about him and his videos: simple to follow as long as you know how to cook. Some of you who prefer following recipes with measurements, you might not enjoy his videos since he won’t show you any measurements for his ingredients. But, if you already know the basics and you know how to estimate the seasonings to your liking, you will love the way he makes his cooking videos – short and fast.

Continue reading Steak Diane Recipe : Inspired by Gordon Ramsay

Tropical Hut Burgers – Review, Monumento branch

Tropical Hut burgers - Monumento branch review - CertifiedFoodies.com

Burgers are still my favorite comfort food. And in the past years, I’ve tried variations of this popular American food from different fast food joints and restaurants in my search for the BEST burgers here in the Philippines.

One of the burger joints that’s on the top of my list is Tropical Hut. I enjoy their burgers and their prices are also affordable. So, if you want to satisfy your burger cravings one day, I recommend Tropical Hut.

A few weeks ago, Mai and I were at Monumento to buy a new printer for our internet cafe. Right after, we headed to Tropical Hut because we wanted burgers for brunch. We dined in at their Monumento branch, beside Mercury Drug, right around the Bonifacio monument.

Tropical Hut serves most of their burgers in aluminum foil to preserve its freshness and the juiciness of the patty.

Tropical Hut Classic Burger - CertifiedFoodies.com

Continue reading Tropical Hut Burgers – Review, Monumento branch

Chicken Popcorn Salad : Guest Foodie: Chikay

Post and recipe brought to us by Cathy “Chikay” from North Carolina, US.

It’s always been hard for me to think what to fix for dinner. Sometimes, I would just go to the grocery store and grab something at the frozen section, come home and stick it in the microwave or oven and voila! Instant meal for me!

Sometimes, buying a ready-to-eat meal is convenient, especially if you are a working mother and don’t have enough time to prepare a meal for the whole family. But, it doesn’t work that way most of the time, especially when you are on a very tight budget and you have no choice, but to be creative and use whatever you have in the fridge.

A few nights ago, that was my dilemma. I wanted to go out for dinner, but the budget wouldn’t allow it. So, I have decided to raid my fridge and see what I can come up with and I remember this salad that I normally order at Mimi’s Café here in NC – the Crispy Chicken Salad (my second favorite meal after the Corn Chowder and Carrot Raisin Muffin).

So, I thought of making my own version of it. I had all the ingredients except the chicken so I used the fully-cooked frozen chicken popcorn that I have in the freezer. Here’s how I made it:

Chicken Popcorn Salad - CertifiedFoodies.com

Chicken Popcorn Salad

INGREDIENTS:

 

Salad:

Lettuce, chopped

Carrots, julienne

Sweet corn kernels, 1 tbsp.

Chopped tomatoes (optional)

Scallions – chopped (optional)

Croutons

Grated cheese

1 hard-boiled egg, sliced thinly

Chicken Popcorn Salad ingredients - CertifiedFoodies.com

 Chicken:

Thinly sliced chicken breast or chicken strips

1 egg

Milk, about ¼ cup

Panko bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for cooking

Chicken Popcorn Salad ingredients part 2 - CertifiedFoodies.com

Thousand Island Dressing:
I used my own judgement on the measurements so whatever I put in here is just an estimate.

½ cup mayonnaise

Tomato ketchup, about 2 tsp.

White vinegar, or in my case, I used apple cider vinegar, about 2 tbsp.

1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

Sweet pickle relish, about a teaspoon

Minced white onion, about a teaspoon

Sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Popcorn Salad ingredients part 3 - CertifiedFoodies.com

 

PROCEDURE:

  1. First, you have to make your dressing ahead of time so it will be nice and cold by the time the salad is ready. Just mix all the thousand island dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and keep it cold in the fridge for at least 1 hour or so. Make sure you use a cling wrap if you don’t have any lid to keep it fresh.
  2. Preparing the salad. Mix all the salad ingredients (except the croutons, cheese and scallions) starting with chopped lettuce, carrots, corn kernels, tomatoes and egg. Keep it cold in the fridge.
  3. Prepare the chicken. Mix the egg and milk together in a medium bowl using a fork or wisk. Put the chicken breast/strips over the mixture. Then, roll in panko bread crumbs and fry till golden brown. Afterwards, slice them, set aside and let it cool. If you don’t have time to do this, you can also use frozen chicken nuggets/strips or in my case, I used the frozen popcorn chicken that I had in the fridge and fried it.
  4. Take the salad and the dressing out of the fridge. Top the salad with croutons, cheese, scallions, chicken and the dressing. Serve and enjoy!

 

Chicken Popcorn Salad with Thousand Island dressing - CertifiedFoodies.com

Post and recipe brought to us by Cathy “Chikay” from North Carolina, US.

Thank you, Chikay! *hugs*

Guest Foodie - Chikay - CertifiedFoodies.com


Guest Foodie - Certified Foodies

Birds of the same feather, flock together. That’s why here at Certified Foodies, we welcome guest posts from other foodies, particularly our friends who don’t have their own food blogs and our beloved blog viewers/visitors. We will also send invites to other foodies to share their recipes here.

So, if you would like to guest post for us, please use our contact page. We’d love to feature your recipes here! 🙂

 

 

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