Now this is HOME.
I miss home a lot, especially the food that my mama (or helper, Ate Joan, who knows all the family recipes by heart) prepares for us. Now that I am “on my own” with no mama or helper to cook our food, I have no choice, but to try and recreate some of those dishes from here.
Again, because I am a beginner level cook, I will start with the easiest dishes of the lot. Today, I cooked one of my most favorite comfort food of all time (part of my Project 30) is our family’s version of arroz ala cobana…
Unlike the other versions of arroz ala cobana, this recipe is very simple, highlighting the beefiness of the beef. The beef is stripped it bare of the usual trimmings like teeny potato cubes, carrots and raisins, seasoned only with onion, garlic, salt, & pepper and accompanied by fried bananas, a sunny side up egg and a cup of rice (of course). Yes, you can find all the food groups in a single plate!
It’s presented neatly in the picture above, but in reality, it is just one crazy mess of a plate, where everything is mixed with so much gusto. I adore it for its mix of salty, sweet, creamy and starchy in a single mouthful.
One big yummy mess!
Ingredients (One recipe serves 6 hungry people):
- 1-kilo ground / minced beef
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 large head of garlic, peeled and minced
- 6-sunny side up eggs
- 12-saba (sweet plantain / cardaba) bananas
- 2-tablespoons sugar, preferably brown
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking oil
- 6-cups of steamed white rice
Step-by-step:
For the Beef:
- Saute onions and garlic until onions become translucent
- Add in minced beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beef is cooked through with an almost crispy texture.
Beef is cooked through but not yet done...
- Set aside minced beef when cooked.
Beef should look like this.
For the Bananas:
Gooey caramelized bananas
- Peel bananas and slice in half, lengthwise.
- Roll the banana halves in sugar then pan-fry until golden.
- Set aside.
Assembling the dish:
- In one plate, place a cup of steamed white rice, 4-banana halves, a cup of minced beef topped with a sunny side up egg.
- OPTIONAL: Add a splash of Tabasco hot sauce for some kick of heat.
- Then mix everything up!
Make sure that you have all the components of the dish in one spoonful: rice, minced beef, egg and banana. Let me know if you enjoy our family’s version of arroz ala cobana 
Delirious about delicious,
Didi
