Easy Paella Valenciana Recipe - Traditional Spanish Food (2024)

FAQs

What is the Spanish dish paella made up of answer? ›

Paella (pai·ei·uh) is a classic Spanish rice dish made with rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood cooked and served in one pan.

Sofrito. Sofrito is a flavorful mixture of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers that is used as a base for many Spanish and Latin American dishes, including paella. It's often called the "secret ingredient" in paella, as it adds a depth of flavor and richness to the dish.

Paella valenciana is the traditional paella of the Valencia region, believed to be the original recipe, and consists of round-grain rice, bajoqueta and tavella (varieties of green beans), rabbit, chicken, sometimes duck, and garrofó (a variety of lima or butter bean), cooked in olive oil and chicken broth.

Truly great paella also relies on a flavoursome stock, which you can make yourself using prawn heads, parsley, wine, saffron and cooking juices from the mussels. Traditionally, paella is cooked over an open fire which infuses the paella with an aromatic smoke.

Because paella is truly all about the rice, the rice is the most important ingredient. Bomba rice, from Spain, is the best choice. It absorbs 3 times as much liquid than regular rice giving it 3 times as much flavor when all the liquid is absorbed. Plus cooked right, it stays firm and al dente.

Originating in the rice-growing areas on Spain's Mediterranean coast, the dish is especially associated with the region of Valencia. Paella takes its name from the paellera, the utensil in which it is cooked, a flat round pan with two handles; paella is traditionally eaten from the pan.

Water is actually the most-often-used liquid in “authentic” paella, but stock is in many cases better. Chicken stock is all-purpose, and a not-too-strong meat stock will work nicely, too. Fish stock is fine as long as you're including fish, and a quickly made shrimp-shell stock might be your best alternative.

What Can You Not Put in Paella? Real paella does not include many ingredients that go into other rice dishes. Some of these include onions, peas, mushrooms, carrots, and chorizo. While all good combinations with rice, these aren't part of the traditional paella recipes.

Onion: Most Spanish recipes call for a fried onion as the basis of the dish, but paella isn't one of them.

The ten permitted ingredients are: rice, water, olive oil, salt, saffron (or food colouring), tomato, flat green beans, lima beans, chicken and rabbit. No fish or shellfish. Ever. The research was carried out by social scientists at the Universidad Católica de Valencia at the instigation of local chef Rafael Vidal.

What is paella Valenciana mean in English? ›

… Valencia is a region on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, which is known for its rice dishes. There are as many versions of paella as there are cooks in Spain, but Paella Valenciana is the traditional version of Valencia's signature rice dish including rabbit, chicken, and snails.

The ideal paprika to use for paella is smoked paprika, in which the peppers have been dried in the smoke of an oak fire. Our favorite is the La Vera 'bittersweet' variety, which is available from The Spanish Table.

To start, choose an Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain for this dish. It's what guarantees the best flavor and aromas. And to finish, once you turn off the stove, cover the paella with a dish towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.

The best paella pan is the Garcima Pata Negra Paella Pan; it's sturdy and has a wide surface area. If you're willing to splurge, I also loved the paella pan from Mauviel.

The Importance of Paella in Spanish Culture

Paella is a symbol of belonging to a family and the dish carries the important Spanish value of family in the day to day life. Families meet around a table to eat this tasty dish, and as such, families make their own Paella using ingredients that are easy to source.

Paella is largely considered to be the national dish of Spain by those of us who don't actually live in Spain; Spaniards are more likely to consider it the regional dish of Valencia.

Bomba rice is a type of pearly white short grain rice that Spaniards use exclusively in making paella. Its ability to soak in flavors without bursting makes it the number one choice for paella even outside of Spain.