Although debatable whether arroz a la cubana did originate from Cuba as its name implies, the dish does exist as a household favorite in many Spanish-speaking countries. Versions range from something as simple as boiled rice, fried eggs and plaintains to the more ample Filipino interpretation which is ground beef cooked in tomato sauce along with the rice, eggs and bananas.
Most Filipino arroz ala cubana recipes are prepared much like giniling na baboy with potatoes, carrots, raisins and bell peppers added to the minced meat. I like mine short and simple as I find the combination of savory meat, sweet bananas and runny yolks more than enough to satisfy. Try it tonight and let me know what you think. Your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
Arroz ala Cubana
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 small onion peeled and minced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas thawed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
For the Sides
- 8 saba bananas ripe but firm
- 8 eggs
- 8 cups steamed white rice
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, heat about 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until limp. Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart with back of spoon, for about 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Drain excess fat.
- Add tomato sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar. Bring to a boil for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Lower heat, cover and simmer until meat is cooked through and liquid is mostly reduced.
- Add green peas and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot with steamed rice, fried eggs and fried bananas.
For the Sides
- Peel bananas and slice lengthwise. In a pan over medium heat, remaining heat oil. Add bananas and cook, turning once or twice, until golden and lightly crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
- In the pan, add eggs and cook sunny side up, with the white part set and the yolks runny.
Hi there,
What kind of tomato sauce did you use for this recipe?
Thanks.
Hi Anabelle,
I used canned tomato sauce, any brand would do 🙂
Hi Lalaine,
I want to cook this for my husband ( we just got married last december) but I’m wondering if I can use ground pork. He doesn’t like beef that much..
Hello Julie
Wishing you happiness and love in your marriage 🙂
Yes, you can substitute pork.
Hi there.my grandmother, bless her soul, use to insist we have this dish for Xmas eve dinner. She was raised by her Spanish speaking grandmother and this dish was her tribute to her memory. I did not find anything special about it as a child….as I’d rather have the more special dishes of the holidays. But now, with her gone and me living away from home, perhaps it was time I cook this dish as tribute to her memory too.
I am glad this recipe for arroz a la cubana can help you keep family traditions alive 🙂
I believe that it would be better without the green peas if you replace it with raisins it would really compliment the flavor.
HI Xavi
I’ve never added raisins in my arroz a la cubana as I find the sweetness of the saba bananas enough to balance the flavors. Thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a try 🙂
Hello, I made this tonight. It was so easy and delicious. But, I noticed that the 1/2 tsp sugar that you wrote on the ingredients was not indicated on the directions.
Hi Charlotte
Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I corrected the recipe. 🙂
Also, I have some experience with Latin cuisines, and I noticed that the ground beef we use for this dish (which i have eaten for most of my life!) is very very close in concept to what Latinos–including Cubans–call ‘picadillo’,which is interesting because, as we know, picadillo in Philippine cookery is a soup with diced potatoes and ground meat. Cuban picadillo is pretty much the same as the beef in our arroz a la Cubana, but with the addition of green olives, and maybe some cumin and oregano. So I guess the name changed when the recipe got to the Philippines centuries ago.
One last anecdote 🙂 : Years ago, I had some ‘arroz a la Cubana’ in Madrid, and was surprised to see that it was just rice, a fried egg, and tomato sauce. That’s it. I was a bit disappointed, but it occurred to me then that the dish was not solely a Filipino one–at least in name.
Yes, I’ve tried arroz a la cubana with just the tomato sauce, fried egg and rice. I think they call the sauce sofrito. It was delicious with all the garlic and onions but like you, I didn’t find it satisfying as I am big on meat.
Cuban picadillo sounds interesting. I’ll try cooking it this weekend.I love olives especially in sandwiches (tuna salad sandwiches yum!)
Thank you so much for sharing your food adventures. 🙂
Hi, I was poking around the internet looking for Filipino recipes and happily came across your blog. Wonderful recipes, and, unlike other pinoy sites, perfect English grammar too! Just a minor spelling correction on the title of this recipe (I speak Spanish and my wife is South American): it’s ‘Arroz a la Cubana’, with a space between the ‘a’ and the ‘la’. Hope you are able to tolerate grammar nazis without too much grief, lol. In any case, your recipe here sounds just right. I will be making this over the weekend, and will be using your site whenever I cook Filipino food from here on in! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Gonzo
Thank you, I corrected the a and la.
No, I don’t mind grammar nazis. I need all the help I can get 🙂