The Filipino cuisine is heavily influenced by the Spanish after centuries of being under their rule and one of my favourite heavily Spanish-influenced Filipino dishes is Arroz a la Cubana, which is usually a meat-and-rice dish with a fried egg and fried saba or cardava bananas. This version is of course a Vegan Arroz a la Cubana made with extra firm tofu or tokwa for the protein! It also has some raisins for that extra bite of sweetness, some olives, and green peas.
WHAT IS ARROZ A LA CUBANA?
For a little context, the Philippines was under Spanish rule for over 300 years so a lot of our dishes and even the Filipino language is very heavily influenced by Spanish culture. Arroz a la cubana is one of those Filipino dishes greatly influenced by Spanish cuisine and it’s a dish you’ll find in other Spanish-speaking countries.
In Filipino cuisine, Arroz a la Cubana is usually made with ground beef cooked down with tomatoes or tomato sauce with the addition of peas and raisins. Other versions sometimes also include potatoes and carrots. For this version of mine, I used some raisins, which I love for the sweetness, some green peas, and sliced olives.
Instead of using plant-based ground alternatives, I opted to use extra firm tofu or tokwa and that I mashed/crumbled and cooked it down until it resembled ground meat.
Arroz a la cubana is usually enjoyed with a generous serving or rice, fried egg, and some fried saba or cardava bananas–which is the most common cooking banana in the Philippines.
For this vegan version, I skipped the egg and it was still so good and hearty, which really reminded me of the arroz a la cubana dishes I had growing up.
THE INGREDIENTS
HOW TO COOK ARROZ A LA CUBANA
START WITH THE BANANAS (OR PLANTAINS)
- Heat your skillet or non-stick pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add in a generous amount of oil. Pan-fry the bananas over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Flip over and repeat the other side. Set the bananas aside.
PRESS YOUR TOFU
- Tofu: Drain any excess liquid from the tofu by wrapping it in paper towels and placing a heavy flat surface on top of the tofu.
HEAT YOUR PAN AND COOK THE TOFU
- In the same pan used for the bananas, heat some oil, Once hot, sauté the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add in the garlic and sauce until lightly brown.
- Crumble the tofu into small pieces (I just used my hands for this) and add into the pan.
- Season the tofu with the tomato paste, sugar, and soy sauces.
- Mix well and leave the tofu to cook, turning it every 2 to 3 minutes to evenly crisp the sides.
- The tofu will start to resemble minced pork as it cooks down and the water from the tofu evaporates. This may take around 10-12 minutes in total. Add in the olives, raisins, and green peas. Mix well. Taste the tofu and season with salt and pepper to taste.
HOW TO SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR ARROZ A LA CUBANA
- Serve with some rice and pan-fried bananas. Enjoy while hot!
OTHER FILIPINO RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- Adobo
- Tokwa’t Baboy
- Filipino Kaldereta or ‘Meat’ Stew
- Mushroom Tocino
- Filipino Fried Garlic Rice
- Filipino Lumpiang Gulay or Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Filipino “Pork” Barbecue
- Crispy Tofu Sisig
- Tofu and Mushroom Salpicao
- Bola-Bola (Filipino Meatballs)
Arroz a la Cubana (Filipino Vegan Recipe)
Ingredients
Bananas (optional, see notes)
- 3 saba or cardava bananas or 2 large plantains, sliced in half (see notes)
- Neutral oil for cooking
Arroz a la Cubana
- Neutral oil for cooking
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 500 g extra firm tofu or tokwa
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup cooked green peas (225 g), I used canned peas
- 1/2 cup raisins (180 g)
- 10 olives sliced, I used green olives
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or more to taste
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce optional for colour
- Salt and pepper to taste
To Serve
- 3 servings cooked rice , I used white rice
Instructions
- Heat your skillet or non-stick pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add in a generous amount of oil. Pan-fry the bananas over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Flip over and repeat the other side. Set the bananas aside.
- Tofu: Drain any excess liquid from the tofu by wrapping it in paper towels and placing a heavy flat surface on top of the tofu.
- In the same pan used for the bananas, heat some oil, Once hot, sauté the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add in the garlic and sauce until lightly brown.
- Crumble the tofu into small pieces (I just used my hands for this) and add into the pan. Season the tofu with the tomato paste, sugar, and soy sauces. Mix well and leave the tofu to cook, turning it every 2 to 3 minutes to evenly crisp the sides.The tofu will start to resemble minced pork as it cooks down and the water from the tofu evaporates. This may take around 10-12 minutes in total. Add in the olives, raisins, and green peas. Mix well. Taste the tofu and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with some rice and pan-fried bananas. Enjoy while hot!
Notes
Cooking Bananas
- If you don’t have access to saba or cardava bananas, feel free to use 2 plantains or other cooking bananas. And since plantains are much longer, you  can slice them in half. They will also have a slightly different texture. 

NUTRITIONAL INFO
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