Brown Rice Paella Recipes

VEGETARIAN PAELLA RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash and cook basmati rice in 2 cup of water. Keep aside.
• Wash and cook brown rice in 3 cups of water. Keep aside. Click here for my blog post on how to cook fluffy basmati rice and how to cook the best brown rice.
• Put the paella pan on medium heat. You can use any sauté pan big enough for the amount of veggies and rice you have.
• Add oil and when the oil is hot, add bay leaves, garlic and chillies.
• Sauté till the garlic just starts to turn brown. Add onions and sauté for a minute. Bayleaves, garlic, onions and chillies are like aromatics and are always added first to flavour the oil.
• Add the tougher vegetables like carrot, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower first, allowing them longer time to cook. Mix well and sauté for 8-10 minutes till they start to turn soft.
• Add bell peppers, steamed corn, peas, and tofu. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
• Now slowly add the cooked white and brown rice little by little and gently mix them together with the veggies.
• Add lemon juice, mix well and remove from heat.
• Sprinkle fresh parsley and give everything a good mix.
• Serve hot with lemon wedges on side.

VEGAN PAELLA

Steps:

• Warm up the vegetable stock. Lightly crush the saffron in between your fingertips and add it to the warm broth. Season to taste with sea salt then allow it to steep while you work on the paella.
• Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium low flame and pan sear the Beyond sausages until golden on all sides. (You shouldn't have to add any oil here but if you do just use a light spray). Transfer to a plate and slice into 1/3 inch slices.
• In the same skillet you cooked the sausage add half of the onion. Saute until translucent then stir in the brown rice, smoked paprika, chili pepper and garlic powder. Cook for a minute or so then hit it with half of the wine. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed.
• Pour in the saffron broth over the rice and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaf, cover with a lid then simmer on low flame for 45 minutes. NO STIRRING. Remove from heat and allow the rice to sit covered for another 10 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.
• Meanwhile in a separate skillet add half of the chopped onion and a little pinch of sea salt with a little splash of water or stock. Saute until translucent then add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and thyme. Hit it with half of the white wine and cook down until reduced and the mushrooms have softened. Sir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the artichoke hearts, roasted peppers and sliced sausage to the pan and mix.
• Transfer to the pan with the cooked saffron rice and combine. Adjust seasonings and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve hot with a fresh squeeze of lemon.
• OPTIONAL: Garnish with sliced olives or capers.

PAELLA

Steps:

• Spritz 4 to 5 pieces of newspaper with vegetable oil and put in the bottom of a charcoal chimney starter. Fill the chimney with half of the charcoal and light the newspaper.
• When the charcoal is lightly covered with gray ash, carefully pour onto the bottom grate of a kettle grill and spread evenly. Top with the remaining unlit charcoal, spreading evenly so as not to suffocate the lit charcoal. Set the second grate in the kettle and cover until ready to cook.
• Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes and remove the seeds to a fine mesh strainer set over a small bowl to catch the juice. Grate the seeded halves on the large hole side of a box grater and discard the skins. Combine the reserved juice and grated tomato and set aside.
• Warm the chicken broth in a kettle or 4-quart saucepan over high heat until it reaches 200 degrees F. Remove the broth from the heat and cover to keep warm.
• Combine the rice, saffron, rosemary, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and paprika in a small mixing bowl.
• Heat the olive oil in the paella pan on the prepared grill. Season the chicken on all sides with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Once the olive oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Move the chicken to the outer edges of the pan. Add the green beans, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and garlic to the center of the pan and cook until they begin to soften and darken in color, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice and cook until most of the liquid has dissipated and the tomatoes thicken and darken, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the rice mixture to the center of the pan and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
• Redistribute the chicken pieces on top of the rice. Add 4 cups of the warm chicken broth and stir to distribute the rice evenly in the pan, making sure that all rice is completely submerged in liquid. From this point forward do not stir the paella. After 8 to 9 minutes, when all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice appears dry, add an additional 4 cups of broth. Continue to cook without stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, about 8 to 9 minutes. The rice should be firm to the bite and the grains have a tiny white dot in the center. Add the remaining cup of broth as needed, until the rice is cooked through. Watch the fire to make sure it is heating evenly and adjust the pan to prevent uneven cooking.
• Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a tea towel and rest for 15 minutes before serving.

BROWN RICE, CHICKEN, AND CHORIZO PAELLA

Steps:

• Measure salt, paprika, red pepper, turmeric, and saffron into a small bowl and set spice mixture aside.
• Heat olive oil in paella pan or large pot over medium heat. Add chicken and chorizo and cook until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a platter. Add onion, bell pepper, parsley, and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add rice, tomato, and roasted red peppers. Cook until rice begins to brown, about 5 minutes more. Add spice mixture and broth. Return chicken and chorizo to the pot, burying them in the paella.
• Increase heat to high and bring the pot to a boil, stirring every 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, 50 to 55 minutes more. Add thawed peas and carrots, black olives, capers, and apple cider vinegar and stir. Cook until everything is heated through, 3 to 5 more minutes.

SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• *Please note, this is my version of Paella Mixta I learned to make while living in Madrid, Spain. I've simplified the recipe as best I could for anyone to be able to make without a special pan or equipment. There are MANY variations to Paella so please be respectful that my authentic recipe may be different from yours!
• Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
• Add chicken pieces, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and rice to the pot. Cook for 1 minute.
• Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!).
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth just once or twice during cooking. (We don't ever stir the rice, so that a crispy crust forms at the bottom, called a socarrat).
• Cook for about 15-18 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).
• Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.

SHRIMP & BROCCOLI BROWN RICE PAELLA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper and mushrooms; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, garlic and seasonings; cook 1-2 minutes longer., Stir in stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 40-45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Add shrimp and broccoli; cook 8-10 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in peas; heat through. Freeze option: Place cooled paella in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Microwave, covered, on high in a microwave-safe dish until heated through, stirring gently and adding a little stock or water if necessary.

BROWN RICE PAELLA

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon garlic in medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until skin begins to blister and turn spotty black, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer peppers to small plate and set aside.
• Add 1 teaspoon oil to now-empty Dutch oven; heat oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add chicken pieces in single layer; cook, without moving pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn pieces and brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer; transfer chicken to medium bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add chorizo to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and fat begins to render, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chorizo to bowl with chicken and set aside.
• Add enough oil to fat in Dutch oven to equal 2 tablespoons; heat over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes; stir in remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes; cook until mixture begins to darken and thicken slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until grains are well coated with tomato mixture, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, wine, saffron, bay, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
• Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until rice absorbs most of liquid, about 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven; add chicken and chorizo, cover pot, and transfer to oven; cook for 15 minutes. Remove pot from oven; scatter shrimp over meat and rice, insert mussels hinged side down into rice (so they stand upright), arrange bell pepper strips in pinwheel pattern, and scatter peas over top. Cover and return to oven; cook until shrimp are opaque and mussels have opened, about 12 minutes.
• Let paella stand, covered, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened and bay leaf, if it can be easily removed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

VEGETABLE AND BROWN RICE PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer and stir in saffron, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Add tomatoes and rice; stir to combine. Pour in reserved broth and bring to a boil. Cover, place in the oven, and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove skillet from oven, uncover, and place asparagus and artichokes on top, pushing vegetables into the rice. Scatter peas over the top. Cover and return to oven for 10 minutes.
• Uncover and cook for 5 minutes more, or until all the broth is absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.