Going to be completely honest, I’m not really a breakfast person. When I’m not working my day job, and having to fuel early in the day to be productive, I’m usually a brunch kind of gal. I mean, what is not to love about brunch? It is hearty breakfast food mixed in a lunch special. Does not get any better than that! Arroz a la Cubana is a Spanish-inspired Filipino breakfast (or brunch) meal made with minced meat, stir fried in tomatoes and veggies, served with rice, fried plantains, and eggs.
If you are looking for a hearty meal, with a little bit of sweet, savory, and (overall) flavorful Filipino brunch – aside from the usual breakfast tapas – this might be your next best thing! Best part of all, it’s a variety of food in one plate.
WHAT IS FILIPINO STYLE ARROZ A LA CUBANA
From what I’ve always known, Filipino style Arroz a la Cubana is made with what we call giniling or “stir fried minced pork or beef” made with potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. Which, is the main source of “protein” in this dish. I’ve actually had giniling more than I did with Arroz a la Cubana. Usually, my parents would cook it as an easy dinner, growing up, and they would save left overs the next day to turn into an omelette and serve it with fried garlic rice. I guess, in a way, that was our version of the dish. We’ve always had bananas on the side – whether that was cooking or eating bananas. My mom, in my earliest memories, would fry plantains with a little bit of sugar and that would be our dessert to compliment a savory dish.
Flavors are pretty much straight forward – which is savory and, somewhat, sweet. In giniling, there’s usually a debate between who is team “with raisins” or “without raisins” as it is a component of the dish. I stayed true to how I’ve always known it, and that is with raisins. Love it, or hate it, it is what makes the dish.
THE MAIN COMPONENTS
Main components of Arroz a La Cubana includes the following:
- Rice – Which is a given, as arroz literally means rice in Spanish.
- Minced “Meat” – as the source of protein. I used a plant-based “beef”. Minced meat is often stir fried with potatoes, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and raisins for a flavorful standalone dish.
- Fried “Eggs” – Which is somewhat included on my recipe but in a subtle way. I used the Just Egg squared slices.
- Fried plantains – or saba bananas aka “cooking” bananas.
While these components may seem a lot of work, trust me, they are super easy to prepare and would probably only take you 35 minutes or less to make.
TOP TIPS MAKING THIS DISH
- Prepare your rice ahead of time. I made a Filipino classic fried rice for this recipe called “sinangág” which is simply garlic fried rice. Using a batch of day old rice, I pan fried with a few cloves of garlic (up to you how many or how little), tossed it with a pinch of salt & pepper, and some vegan “eggs” for texture.
- Adding an egg is optional for a vegan version. As recreating a sunny side up might be time consuming or egg substitutes might come in pricier, you can totally skip this. You can also recreate your own tofu “egg” scramble if you wish. I was short on time and used the Just Egg slices.
- Use any plantain or cooking bananas as a side dish; it is firmer when pan frying. Regular eating bananas will not work, they will release a lot of liquids and turn mushy once you place on high heat.
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Vegan Arroz a la Cubana
Equipment
- large sauté pan
- small non-stick frying pan
Ingredients
FOR THE GINILING
- ½ medium (½ cup) yellow onions diced
- 1 small (½ cup) carrot diced
- 1 large (¾ cup) Yukon gold potatoes diced
- 4 cloves (1 tbsp) garlic minced
- 340 g (0.75lb) vegan groundless "beef" I used Impossible Meat (see notes)
- 1 small (¾ cup) red bell pepper diced
- ⅓ cup raisins
- green onions sliced for garnish
FOR THE SEASONING
- ¼ cup crushed tomatoes
- 1½ tbsp tomato paste
- 1-2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika or regular paprika
- ½ tsp brown sugar or any sweetener
- salt & pepper to taste
- fresh lemon or calamansi juice to taste
- oil for pan frying
TO SERVE
- cooked rice see notes
- 1 large saba banana or plantain (sliced in half)
Instructions
FOR THE GINILING
- Preheat a sauté pan to medium high heat and coat with about 1 tbsp of cooking oil.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and potatoes. Mix until well combined. Season with a pinch of salt & pepper. Leave alone for about 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally until potatoes have slightly softened.
- Add the garlic and stir.
- Add your minced "beef" and stir into the vegetables until well combined. Then, add the bell pepper to combine all the dry ingredients.
- Stir in the seasonings such as the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, and sugar until well combined. Season with salt & pepper to taste (if needed).
- Toss in the raisins and stir.
- Turn off heat. Garnish with green onions and splash a bit of lemon or calamansi juice.
FOR THE SABA BANANAS (plantain)
- On a frying non-stick frying pan, coat with a teaspoon of oil and preheat to medium heat.
- Slice plantain in half. Pan fry on each side until golden brown. Depending on your stove, this should take between 2-4 minutes total.
TO SERVE
- Plate your dish with the giniling and plantain. Serve with cooked rice.
Notes
- For the “minced” beef substitutes– I used Impossible Meat as it is the most accessible to find in my grocery store, it is also one of the best substitutes without any weird after taste (in my opinion). You can also use TVP (or textured vegetable protein) or crumbled extra firm tofu (pressed and drained from excess liquids) for a much subtle substitute.
- Adding fried “egg” – Because this is a vegan version, obviously doing a vegan sunny side up “egg” will require more work. I used the Just Egg square slices and cut them up into tiny pieces, mixed it into the rice for the full breakfast experience.
- For the rice – Any prepared steam rice will work just fine. I made a Filipino classic fried rice for this recipe called “sinangag” which is simply garlic fried rice. Using a batch of day old rice, I pan fried with a few cloves of garlic (up to you how many or how little), tossed it with a pinch of salt & pepper, and some vegan “eggs” for texture.
- For the plantain (or saba bananas) – Use any plantain or cooking bananas as a side dish; it is firmer when pan frying. Regular eating bananas will not work, they will release a lot of liquids and turn mushy once you place on high heat.