Long-grain rice is toasted briefly in oil with onion, garlic and sometimes a small piece of bell pepper. Hot water and salt go in; the pot is covered tightly and the rice cooks undisturbed for 18 minutes. Five minutes' rest off the heat finishes the steaming. The grains stay separate.
Soft flour tortillas, thicker than Mexican ones, are griddled until lightly blistered. While still warm, they're spread with hot refried beans, drizzled with mantequilla, sprinkled with salty crumbled cheese, then folded in half. Eaten in hand. Add-ons are layered before the fold. Done in 20 seconds at the stand.
Small corn tortillas are shallow-fried until golden and crisp. While still hot, they're spread with warm refried beans and topped with crumbled queso fresco. A drizzle of chimol salsa is the standard finish; mantequilla and a slice of avocado are easy luxuries.
Dried red beans soak overnight, simmer with onion, garlic and bay until tender, then are mashed (smooth or chunky) and fried in oil with a fresh chopped onion. The fry stage darkens, thickens and concentrates them. They keep for a week; better the next day.
The plantains are peeled and cut lengthways into 5 mm slices, then fried in a shallow pool of vegetable oil until deep gold. Ripe (yellow with black spots) plantains caramelise sweet and turn soft; green plantains stay starchy and crisp. Each works, depending on what's on the plate.
Pork belly cooks slow with its own fat (rendered chicharrón); cassava boils in salted water until tender, then drains; both go on the same plate. The chicharrón is broken into bite-sized pieces over the yuca. A simple curtido of cabbage, carrot and vinegar lifts the plate.