Cuban recipe
Cuban Completa with White Rice, Black Beans, Fried Eggs, Chicharrones, Maduros and Avocado
A Cuban combination plate with fluffy white rice, black beans, fried eggs, chicharrones, ripe fried plantains and avocado, all served together.
- Preparation30 min
- Cooking2 h
- Total time2 h 30 min
- Servings4 servings
- DifficultyMedium
The Cuban Completa is the plate for anyone who wants a proper meal: one big combination plate where everything has its place and its flavor. In Cuba it is put together in fondas, family homes and any Sunday with a good appetite.
Here we serve it with loose white rice, well-seasoned black beans with their broth, fried eggs with tender yolks, crispy chicharrones, golden maduros (ripe fried plantains) and fresh avocado. Nothing is mixed: the beans go on the side, next to the rice, so you can build each bite yourself.
The key is the order: what takes longest (beans and rice) is done ahead, and the fried items are left for the last moment so they reach the table hot and crispy.
Ingredients
Check off the ingredients you have.
White rice
Black beans
Fried eggs
Pork chicharrones
Fried maduros
Avocado
Method
Black beans
- Put the soaked beans in a pot with fresh water to cover them by 5 cm and cook over medium heat, with the pot partly covered, until tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Add hot water if needed.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and bell pepper until translucent. Add the garlic and cumin and cook one more minute, without letting it burn.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Add the sofrito to the pot with the beans, add the bay leaves and salt and simmer over low heat for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the broth thickens slightly. Taste and adjust the salt.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
White rice
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the unwashed rice and stir for one minute so it is coated. Add the water and salt, and raise the heat until it boils.
- When the water has almost completely evaporated, lower the heat to the minimum, cover and cook 15 to 18 minutes until the rice is dry and loose. Let it rest covered for 5 minutes and fluff it with a fork.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Pork chicharrones
- Dry the pork pieces well with paper towel and season them with salt. Put them in a deep skillet with cold oil or lard that half covers them, and turn the heat to medium.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Fry the pieces 25 to 35 minutes, moving them from time to time, until the fat renders, the skin is very crispy and golden and the inside is completely cooked, with nothing pink. If it splatters a lot, lower the heat and use a mesh splatter lid.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Drain them on paper towel, add a little more salt if needed and keep them warm in the oven at a low temperature.
Fried maduros
- Peel the ripe plantains and cut them into long diagonal slices, about 1 cm thick.
- Fry them in hot oil over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden and caramelized outside and soft inside. Drain them on paper towel.
Eggs and assembly
- Fry the eggs at the last moment in hot oil over medium heat, basting them with oil on top until the white sets and the yolk stays tender. Season with salt.
- Halve the avocados, remove the pit and cut them into slices. Season with salt and a squeeze of lime if you like.
- Assemble on each large plate: white rice on one side, black beans with their broth in their own space next to the rice, fried eggs on top or alongside, chicharrones, sliced maduros and fresh avocado. Serve right away.
