#Dont want to play safe in spanish free#

Saffron is expensive, even more expensive than gold by weight! So if your budget won’t stretch to real saffron threads, use a pinch of saffron powder (it’s artificial but will provide the same colour hit and some flavour – but don’t worry, we have tons of other flavour in this paella!) Saffron – a signature part of paella is the warm yellow tinge of the rice and delicate saffron flavour. Buy anything labelled as Bomba, Valencia, de Valencia or Calasparra – or simply “paella rice”! The Base Ingredients – rice, aromatics (garlic, onion, saffron), stock I divide the stuff that goes into Paella into 2 groups: And in anticipation of someone asking – NO to quinoa!!! (A million Spaniards almost fainted at the thought). I do not recommend using: brown rice, long grain white rice, black rice, wild rice or any other fancy type of rice. The next best is medium grain rice – the same rice I use for rice pudding.

ability to absorb lots of liquid, except risotto goes creamy if you stir it. The unique quality of paella rice is that it absorbs more liquid than other types of rice without getting bloated and mushy, making it ideal for a dish like paella where you want the rice to absorb loads of flavour.īest substitute for paella rice is risotto rice ( arborio rice) which has similar characteristics ie. Paella rice is a short grain variety of rice (ie it is short in length, distinctly different from basmati which is very long).

See below for best subs using more common rice. Where to find paella rice – here in Australia, paella rice is sold at most Woolworths and Harris Farms, some Coles, delis, Spanish or Mediterranean delis (some Italian ones too), or gourmet stores. Paella rice packets tend to be very helpful providing clues such as pictures of Paella or “perfect for paella!” splashed across it. Valencia rice or Arroz de Valencia (pictured below) – the other common name for Bomba Rice or The best rice to use for paella is Spanish rice labelled as:īomba Rice – or arroz bomba ( “arroz” means rice in Spanish) I say this is a straightforward recipe but I AM going to spend a bit more time on explaining steps and process visuals than I usually do (short recipe video extremely helpful for first timers) because I’m guessing paella is a bit of a special occasion dish for many and I want to ensure you nail it! (And you will, I promise – if you follow my steps!) * Miguel Maestro is Australia’s most well known Spanish Chef. I learnt Paella the Migeul Maestro* and Rick Stein way – as he wrote in his Mediterranean Escapes cookbook, Paella, whether it be for a quick midweek meal or a large festive gathering, is meant to be relaxed and fun, not stressful with strict rules. Don’t listen to the authors who tell you that you MUST use homemade fish broth or buy extremely expensive seafood stock. Don’t get too hung up about getting the exact seafood I use. The beauty of paella is that it is in fact extremely flexible. No overcooked seafood, and no mushy rice around here!

#Dont want to play safe in spanish free#

If you’ve always wanted to but been too afraid to try Paella, I can assure you – there is no reason to be scared! If you approach it the right way – and I like to keep my recipes as risk free as possible – you will end up with rice that’s cooked exactly to your taste in a saffron infused, flavour loaded sauce with all your seafood cooked to perfection. Paella! This famous saffron infused rice dish is a traditional Spanish recipe that comes fully loaded with seafood or anything your heart desires! You don’t need a paella pan to cook paella, any skillet or even a large pot will do, and it’s surprisingly straightforward to make.