The Best Side Dishes to Complement Your Havana Dreams Meal

Without a delicious side dish, our lunch or dinner remains incomplete. Although, if you are sitting in a Cuban restaurant, you must try a side dish. Because Cuban Cuisines are popular for the variety of unique types of foods like coconut rice, yuca fries, Arroz Moro, etc.

So, looking for something to add to your main Havana Dreams appetizer? Let’s know about some delicious and different side dishes that are available at our restaurant.

Top 7 Side Dishes To Compliment You Havana Dreams Meal

1. Maduros

If you like traditional Cuban foods, you must hear about plantains. Otherwise, you never tasted that many Cuban dishes. However, plantains are a tropical fruit that is very famous among the Cuban population.

Plantains originated in the tropical region of Southeast Asia and Africa. Now it has become one of the famous fruits of Cuba. Plantains are similar to bananas. But it grows larger than Bananas.

Maduros are made from plantains. Ripened fried plantains are called Maduro’s. When the plantain’s color becomes green to yellow, people take them for making plantains. It can be cooked with different oils and butter.

It’s a very delicious and crispy item. You can easily eat this as a side dish, snack, and dessert. You can enjoy it in multiple ways. This is one of the famous side dishes of our Havana Dreams.

Along with Cuba, maduros are a famous side dish in the Caribbean and other regions of Latin America. It’s especially famous around the tropical area.

2. Arroz Moro

Arroz Moro is another traditional and simplest Cuban dish. It’s a very popular occasional dish for Cuban people. Arroz Moro is specially cooked with black beans and long-grain white rice. Not only black beans but Arroz Moro is also cooked with red beans.

Did you know that rice is one of the significant elements of the most famous Cuban cuisine? Cubans love rice. So this item has become very popular among them.

Peoples also recognize Arroz Moro as Arroz Congri. Generally, this delicious item is used as a side dish in different Cuban restaurants. But it’s also considered part of the major meal. Along with the Cuban region, Arroz Moro is also very famous as a major dish in the Caribbean and Brazil.

Do you want to try this traditional Cuban dish in New York? Visit or order from our restaurant. We prepare the most authentic Arroz Moro here. You can try this delicious side from us. If you want to try this dish at your home check out my blogs about-

• How to make authentic Cuban black beans and rice

3. Coconut Rice

We know that Cuba is a tropical island country. In the tropical environment, there are lots of coconut trees that naturally grow. You might have heard about the king-size coconuts of Cuba. It’s very famous all over the world.

So people use coconuts for preparing different types of dishes: coconut shrimp, coconut balls, coconut puddings, etc.

Among all of them, coconut rice is one of the most popular and tasty side dishes. Coconut is especially popular in tropical areas. Along with Cuba coconut rice is used as an entree or side dish in Thailand. Do you like to cook? If yes then try my easy sides and entree recipes including-

Sides Recipes-

• The Best Yuca Recipe
• How to make authentic Cuban black beans and rice
• Best Easy Coquito Tres Leches Cake Recipe
• How to make authentic Arroz Moro

Entrees Recipes-

• Lamb Chops with Sizzled Garlic- Recipe
• How to Prepare Sabe A Rabo at Home
• How to Cook Pollo a la Cacerola
• How to Make Rompe Colchon
• Ultimate Rules to Make the Carbonara

Also,

• Easy Recipe of Frutti Di Mare
• Authentic Causa Recipe
• How to Make Fried Red Snapper
• How to Make and Serve Grilled Branzino
• How to Make Camarones Al Ajillo Cubano
• How To Cook Cauliflower Steaks

Not only in Thailand coconut rice also becomes one of the important items in India and Indonesia. There is no specific origin of coconut rice.

The main ingredients of coconut rice are coconut milk, white rice, coconut oil, water, and salt. Specifically, coconut milk adds a unique and delicious taste to the rice. If you ever eat coconut, you will understand the taste of coconut milk.

By the way, some of the restaurants use sliced coconut flakes with coconut milk. So it takes the rice taste level to a higher level.

4. Yuca Fries

Have you ever heard about yuca or Caribbean cassava? It’s a root that mostly grows in the tropical regions of South America.

Yuca was first discovered in Africa by Portuguese explorers. After that, it became popular among multiple tropical areas.

Anyway, Yuca fries are a very popular Cuban dish. This crispy and delicious dish is considered one of the important side dishes with the regular Cuban meal.

It’s very similar to potato fry or wedges. But it’s juicy and sweeter than the potato. Rather you can say it’s kind of like sweet potato fries.

Why are yuca fries popular around the tropical area? Because it’s one of the major sources of carbohydrates in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Yuca fries are cooked with different types of species like garlic, onion, and black peppers. So it gives a different type of delicious taste.

It’s very easy to make. So it has become one of the popular side dishes. You can easily have them with your Arroz Moro or coconut rice. Although no one can stop you to have them with your favorite Macallan scotch.

Read also: How To Cook Truffled Yuca Fries

5. Tostones

Tostones are one of the delicious and crispy side dishes of Cuban Cuisine. You already know about the maduros. Maduros are made from yellow ripped sweet plantains.

On the other hand, tostones are made from regular green plantains. It’s sliced and fried green plantains. If you are a Cuban or Puerto Rican person, you must have heard about tostones.

By the way, tostones are equally popular among most tropical south american and Caribbean restaurants. Because plantain dishes are very famous among them.

You can easily enjoy tostones with your favorite Ropa Vieja. After a delicious family dinner, you might be confused about having late-night snacks.

Tostones can be the perfect companion as your late-night bite. Why don’t you try this delicious dish at our Havana Dreams? Just visit our restaurant to eat these mouth-watering and golden crispy fries.

Don’t forget to check out recipe of Tostones With Fried Shrimp 

6. Black Beans

Are you looking for something healthy and delicious? Black beans can be the best side dish option for you.

You might have heard about multiple types of black bean dishes. People have black beans in multiple ways like black beans with rice, black beans soup, fried black beans, etc. Black beans are one of the powerful sources of plant-based proteins and multiple important nutritional elements.

But have you heard about Cuban-style black beans? Well, if you did not hear about it, you missed a big thing.

Because Cuban-style black beans are unique and more delicious than the other recipe of the black beans. Cuban black beans are specially cooked with different types of species. It’s cooked at low heat with a very slow process.

Some of the restaurants include different types of vegetables with black beans. So it amplifies the overall taste of the black bean.

7. White/Yellow Rice

Yellow rice is another authentic and delicious popular Cuban side dish. You know that Cubans love rice-related dishes. Mostly white rice is popular all over the world.

Cuban-style yellow rice is considered one of the main attractions of most Cuban Restaurants. Cuban yellow rice comes from Spanish culture.

Because during the colonization period, Cuba was under the control of the Spanish colonizer. Do you know the reason behind the color of this rice? It’s specially cooked with a combination of saffron.

Saffron is a very popular spice in Spain. So Spanish people took saffron to Cuba. As a result, saffron-cooked yellow rice became very popular during this time.

Not only in Spain, but yellow rice is also very popular in multiple regions like Africa, India, Iran, the Caribbean, etc. So if you want to try this traditional item, you must visit our Havana Dreams restaurant.

We always try to keep the taste of yellow rice as an authentic Spanish recipe.

Final Words

Cuban cuisine is filled with a variety of unique dishes. Because the food items are especially influenced by cultures like Spanish and African. So whenever you are having a Cuban meal, you should include multiple side dishes to increase the taste of the meal. In our Havana Dreams, we have multiple types of side dishes. Don’t forget to try them.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why are plantains popular in Cuban cuisine?

Plantains are popular in Cuban cuisine. Because it’s one of the major tropical fruits in Cuba. Plantains are cooked in different forms like backed, fried, smashed, etc.

2. Why are Cuban side dishes unique?

Cuban side dishes are influenced by multiple cultures. During the colonization period, different peoples from Africa and Spain came to Cuba. As a result, Cuban foods are cooked with a variety of recipes and spices.

3. Which is the best side dish in Havana Dreams?

Most of the side dishes of our Havana Dreams are special. I can suggest you taste the coconut rice with tostones. This delicious combination can blow your mind.