Go Back

Arroz a la Cubana

Recipe by Connie Veneracion
The rice can be newly cooked or it can be day-old rice recycled as fried rice. The traditional way of serving the egg is fried sunny-side-up. The saba bananas can be sliced vertically or into rings.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 4 people
Arroz a la Cubana

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 pinches dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 cups crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 medium potato peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
  • 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
  • ¼ to ½ cup sweet peas thawed if frozen
  • cooking oil for frying
  • 4 to 6 saba bananas
  • 4 eggs
  • rice to serve

Instructions
 

Cook the ground beef hash

  • Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with a thick bottom.
  • Spread the ground beef on the entire bottom of the pan and cook without disturbing until browned underneath. Stir to break up lumps and continue cooking until evenly browned.
  • Add the minced garlic, chopped onion and oregano. Continue cooking, with occasional stirring, until the onion bits soften.
  • Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a gently boil.
  • Add a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper.
  • Stir in the potato and carrot cubes, and peas.
  • Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer the meat and vegetables for 20 to 30 minutes or until the mixture is almost dry and the vegetables are cooked through. Taste occasionally and adjust the seasonings, as needed.

Fry the eggs and saba bananas

  • While the ground beef hash cooks, in another frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least an inch.
  • Peel the saba bananas and cut each vertically into halves.
  • Fry the saba banana halves on both sides in hot oil until browned. Scoop out and set aside.
  • In the remaining oil, fry the eggs sunny side up with runny yolks.

Assemble your arroz a la Cubana

  • Ladle hot rice on a plate and top with an egg.
  • Arrange fried saba bananas and ground beef hash on the side.
Keyword Egg, Ground meat, Rice