Here it is, as promised in our last world cuisine blog post, the best Paella recipe, the original one, Paella Valenciana!
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- Paella Pan
- 300g Rice
- 200g Chicken (thighs is best) – diced
- 200g Hare – diced (optional – double the chicken if you don’t want hare)
- Snails (optional)
- 300g Green beans
- 75g Dry Butter Beans “garrofón”
- 800g Water
- 10 tbsp Olive Oil
- 120g Grated Tomato
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 12 Saffron Strands
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 Rosemary Strands
*Tip before getting started: For 4 or more people, I’d recommend getting a gas ring to distribute the fire evenly around the pan. Otherwise with a normal hob and a big paella pan, it is likely it’ll get overcooked in certain areas and undercooked in others. My grandad used to make it on a metal ring over a wood fire outside, and it came out fantastically, although this would need a lot more regular control and checking as you can’t regulate the strength of the fire as easily.
Steps:
- Put the paella pan on high heat and pour the oil
- Salt the chopped chicken and rabbit, and brown them for 10 m in the oil
- Lower the heat to medium, add the green beans, the “garrofón”, the grated tomato, and continue cooking for 5 more minutes
- Add the paprika and immediately add the water, salt and saffron strands
- Turn up the heat until the water starts to boil and at that moment set it back to medium heat until the “garrofón” gets soft enough that you’re able to break it with a wooden spoon. Cooking time ranges from 15 to 20 minutes
- With a wooden spoon test the broth without burning yourself. It needs to be a little salty because we still need to add the rice. If necessary, rectify the salt
- Remove approximately 175ml of broth from the pan and keep to one side in case you need to add them later
- Add the rice making the shape of a cross and then spread it little by little with the help of a slotted spoon
- Turn up the heat to maximum and cook for 10 minutes. Then cook for an additional 8 minutes at medium heat
- Take the paella away from the heat, cover well with a kitchen towel or foil and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes
The traditional way of eating this dish is with small wooden spoons straight from the paella itself. Although if you prefer, you can serve it on a plate. Don’t be alarmed if the bottom is a little bit darker than the rest, that’s the best part! In Valencia we call that ‘socarrat’. Enjoy!