Arroz a la cubana (Cuban-style rice)

A Spanish classic that I veganised with vegan bacon, fried banana, a vegan fried egg, wild and brown rice, adzuki beans and tomato sauce.


Hola!

Today I bring you my plant-based take on maybe not a very well-known dish from Spain, but very popular in Spain. It’s called arroz a la cubana (Cuban-style rice) and it is so easy to make that we used to eat this for lunch almost every week. The original recipe is typically served as separate components, which then are all mixed before eating. These are: compacted white rice into a mountain-shape, topped with tomato sauce and a fried egg. Some people add fried banana and others add fried bacon. It varies, as with many other Spanish recipes, from regions and even families.

Apparently this is a common meal in Cuba. The dish might have originated in Cuba from the colonial times, and then it was brought back to mainland Spain. I have also seen that this is typical in the Canary Islands and South America, and in some countries they also add a sausage instead of the banana. The common element to all of the versions is the rice, tomato and fried egg.

My mum never used to make it with banana, so whenever we insisted and she felt generous, it was almost time like a celebration. If you have never had fried banana with a savoury meal, try it and you judge for yourself. It sounds strange because you may associate fried banana to banana fritters as dessert, but lightly fried in margarine and with this savoury dish, it brings a nice sweet and savoury combination that I personally love.

In Spain we would use “paella rice” for this dish, which we simply call white rice. For us, long grain rice is exotic and only used in Asian foods or takeaways. Whereas in the UK, the most common rice is long grain and they call our rice “paella rice”. Funny!

In order to make this recipe not only plant-based but healthier, I used a combination of brown and wild rice to add more fibre. I have also added black beans (adzuki beans), since the rice and beans combination is typical from the Caribbean and I wanted to honour its name. Plus, rice and beans are such a good carbs and protein combo: you got wholegrains and legumes. Check and check.

The original recipe is as easy as boiling the rice and frying an egg and bacon. For the vegan version I originally gave instructions to make the egg and bacon from scratch. The vegan egg looks quite impressive, so I decided to leave that on. Nowadays, in the busy times we live in, I use vegan lardons and scrambled OGGS. The photos show maple syrup marinated mushrooms, but that is way too much effort.

PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!

For the egg white, I wanted a jelly-like texture but I couldn’t use gelatine. You can give it a go with veggie gelatine, which is easily found in supermarkets nowadays. When I made this recipe in 2020, I used agar agar, or just agar. You can buy agar in flakes and in powder in health shops or online, but please note they are not equivalent. Agar powder is much more potent so I’ve read that a tablespoon of agar flakes equals a teaspoon of agar powder. The measurements with agar are very important so you need to be precise or the egg whites will become rubbery. Agar’s structure breaks down at 85°C, so if you tried to fry it, don’t. The fact that I used these straight from the fridge did not mind me all, because the texture was the closest to an egg white I have ever tried for a vegan egg. You should be able to use veggie jelly too, but I haven’t yet.

For the egg yolk, I wanted something simple and more orange looking than yellow. I tried pumpkin puree and although in my head I pictured it differently, I can say I’m pretty pleased with the results.

The original recipe with the vegan fried egg is quite impressive for the Insta sexy pics. Nowadays, I just scramble some OGGS (not sponsored). No time.


ARROZ A LA CUBANA (CUBAN-STYLE RICE)

Serves: 2 people
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Vegan egg white (2-3)
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/8 tsp. kala namak salt
1 tbsp. agar flakes

Vegan egg yolk (2-3)
3 tbsp. pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. kala namak salt

Alternatively, use 1 OGGS whole egg alternative 330ml

Other ingredients
Vegan bacon lardons
1 tsp. margarine to fry
2 bananas/plantain, cut in half, lengthwise
1 microwave rice pouch 250g
1 can of adzuki beans (400g, 235g drained), or any other beans
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning or any other herbs of your taste
1 cup tomato sauce

Olive oil spray


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To make the vegan egg white, add the soy milk and salt to a sauce pan and sprinkle the agar flakes on top. Follow the agar cooking instructions. For me, it was simmering for 5 minutes. Pour quickly onto an oiled flat surface (I used a baking tray) to form the egg whites (2 big ones or 3). I was aiming for uneven shapes rather than a perfect circle, so that it looks more like a fried egg. Let it set in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (if you do this on the day). I left them overnight.
  2. To make the vegan egg yolk, mix all the egg yolk ingredients in a bowl. Pop in the microwave for 1 minute to help mixing the ingredients and stir well.
  3. If you decided to use OGGS, just scramble it for a couple of minutes.
  4. Fry the vegan lardons and split in two plates, pushing it to a side.
  5. Use margarine to fry the banana/plantain and add to the plates next to the lardons.
  6. Prepare the micro rice as per pack instructions, mix with the beans and the herbs, and split between two plates, piling it tight towards the edge.
  7. Pour the tomato sauce over the rice. Place the egg whites on top of the tomato sauce and scoop an egg yolk on each with a tablespoon measurement spoon or ice cream scoop. You can press it slightly to make it smooth. If you used OGGS, just add it on top.


Bon profit!