Cuban recipe

Cuban Completa with Rabo Encendido, White Rice, Tostones and Avocado

Name: Cuban Completa with Rabo Encendido, White Rice, Tostones and Avocado
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 280 min
Ingredients: 1.5 kg beef oxtail, cut at the joints and bone-in; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste; 3 tablespoons oil; 2 medium onions, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, chopped; 4 tablespoons tomato purée; 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped; 1 cup dry wine; 1 hot pepper, whole or chopped depending on the desired heat; 2 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon paprika; 2 cups hot water, and more if needed; 2 cups rice; 4 cups water; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 garlic clove; 1½ teaspoons salt; 2 green plantains; Oil for frying; Salt to taste for the tostones; 2 ripe avocados, sliced; A few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of salt for the avocado

Slow-braised oxtail in a thick, spicy sauce, served with fluffy white rice, crispy tostones and fresh avocado. A complete plate for 4.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation40 min
Cooking3 h 30 min
Total time4 h 40 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

The Cuban Completa is the combination plate that brings it all together: a hearty stew, white rice, something fried and crispy, and something fresh to balance it out. Here the star is rabo encendido, a beef oxtail stew cooked slowly until the meat falls off the bone and the sauce turns thick, glossy and pleasantly spicy.

Oxtail is a humble but rewarding cut. Thanks to the collagen in the joints, the sauce thickens by itself and turns silky. With fluffy white rice to soak up the sauce, twice-fried tostones and slices of avocado, it is the kind of family Sunday meal you remember.

Method

The oxtail

Pat the oxtail pieces dry and season them with the garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge, or overnight.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot and brown the oxtail pieces in batches over medium-high heat. Remove them to a plate.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
In the same pot, sauté the onion and bell pepper for about 8 minutes until softened. Add the tomato purée and chopped tomato and cook 5 minutes more, gently scraping the bottom.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Pour in the wine and let it boil for about 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Return the oxtail, add the hot pepper, bay leaves, paprika and the 2 cups of hot water. Add more water if needed so the liquid almost covers the oxtail.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat for 2½ to 3 hours, keeping a gentle simmer. Stir from time to time and add hot water if it dries out. Cook longer if necessary until the meat separates easily from the bone with a fork.
Uncover and reduce the sauce for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until thick and coating the pieces. Adjust the salt and heat. Remove the bay leaves and the whole hot pepper, if you used it.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

The rice

Prepare the rice toward the end of the stew. Heat the oil with the garlic without burning it, add the water and salt and, when it boils, add the washed rice. When the liquid has almost been absorbed, lower the heat to the minimum, cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until tender. Let it rest 5 minutes covered and fluff with a fork.

The tostones and avocado

Peel the plantains and cut them into slices about 3 cm thick. Fry in batches over medium heat 3-4 minutes per side, until tender and barely golden. Drain.
Flatten the slices with a tostonera or a sturdy glass to about 1 cm. Fry again in batches in hot oil, not smoking, about 1-3 minutes per side until crispy. Drain and salt.
Cut the avocados and dress them with lemon and salt. Serve the rice, the oxtail with its sauce and the hot tostones together with the fresh avocado.

Tips and variations

Heat: start with a small amount of the hot pepper and adjust at the end; its intensity varies by variety. To soften it, you can remove the seeds and inner membranes or use less. Wash your hands after handling it and do not touch your eyes.

Oxtail: ask for beef oxtail pieces with the central bone, cut at the joints. The meat should end up tender and separate easily from the bone; extend the stewing time if it still offers resistance.

Timing: the 280 minutes include 40 of preparation, 30 of refrigerated marinating and about 210 of cooking, coordinated with the sides. The size of the pieces may require more time. An overnight marinade adds hours to the elapsed time.

Pressure cooker: as an alternative, allow about 50-60 minutes from when it reaches working pressure, following the manufacturer's instructions for filling, liquid and release. Check for tenderness and cook longer if needed. Reduce the sauce uncovered at the end.

Wine: boiling it for a few minutes does not guarantee that all the alcohol is removed. You can replace the cup of wine with the same amount of broth for an alcohol-free version.

Storage: cool and refrigerate the oxtail promptly in shallow containers, eat within 3 days and reheat until it reaches 74 °C in the center. Prepare the tostones at the last minute and serve the avocado fresh.