Cuban recipe

Cuban Completa with White Rice, Pork Fricassee, Fried Ripe Plantains, and Tomato, Avocado and Red Onion Salad

Name: Cuban Completa with White Rice, Pork Fricassee, Fried Ripe Plantains, and Tomato, Avocado and Red Onion Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 1 kg pork (masa de puerco, boneless pork meat), cut into 3 cm cubes; Juice of 2 limes; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoons salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped; 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped; 2 tablespoons tomato purée; ½ cup dry wine; 1 bay leaf; 2 cups water; 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks; ½ cup olives; 2 cups long-grain white rice; 4 cups water; 2 tablespoons oil; 2 garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 very ripe plantains; Oil for frying; 1 pinch of salt; 3 firm tomatoes, cut into wedges; 2 ripe avocados, sliced; 1 red onion, thinly sliced; 3 tablespoons olive oil; Juice of 1 lime

A Cuban combination plate of fluffy white rice, tender pork fricassee, fried ripe plantains, and a fresh tomato, avocado and red onion salad.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation30 min
Cooking2 h
Total time2 h 30 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

The Cuban Completa is that Sunday combination plate where you have it all together: perfectly fluffy white rice, a meat stew with sauce to spoon over it, the sweetness of fried ripe plantains, and something fresh to balance it out.

In this version the star is the pork fricassee, made with diced pork that is tender and juicy, with its Creole sofrito, dry wine and olives. It is served with a tomato, avocado and red onion salad, with no beans or congrí, so each component can shine on its own.

Method

Pork fricassee

Mix the cubed pork with the lime juice, 2 crushed garlic cloves, the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 1 hour (ideally 2) in the fridge.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the meat in batches until browned on all sides. Remove it and set aside.
In the same fat, sauté the onion, green pepper and the remaining 2 garlic cloves for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Add the chopped tomato and the tomato purée and cook 5 minutes more. Return the meat, pour in the dry wine, add the bay leaf and let the alcohol evaporate for 2 minutes.
Add the water, cover and cook over low heat for about 50 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the potatoes and olives and cook 25-30 minutes more, until the meat is very tender (it cuts easily with a fork), the potatoes are soft and the sauce is juicy. Adjust the salt and remove the bay leaf.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

White rice

Heat the oil in a pot with the crushed garlic cloves for 1 minute, without letting them burn. Add the washed and drained rice and stir for 1 minute so it gets coated.
Pour in the water with the salt, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. When the water has almost been absorbed and bubbles appear on the surface, stir once, reduce to the lowest heat, cover and cook 15-18 minutes. Remove from the heat, let it rest covered for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork so it stays loose.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Fried ripe plantains

Peel the ripe plantains and cut them into long diagonal slices about 1 cm thick.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the slices in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until golden and lightly caramelized. Drain them on paper towels and season with a pinch of salt if you like.

Salad and assembly

Arrange the tomato wedges, avocado slices and thinly sliced red onion on a platter. Dress with the olive oil, lime juice and salt just before serving.
Serve on each plate a mound of white rice, the fricassee with its sauce, the fried ripe plantain slices and the salad, with all four components clearly visible.