Valenciana Rice Recipes

ARROZ VALENCIANA

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine long grain and glutinous rice. Rinse a few times with cold water until water runs clear. Drain well.
• In a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions, garlic and cook until softened.
• Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until color changes and lightly browns.
• Add chorizo de bilbao and cook until lightly browned and releases color.
• Add saffron and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Add fish sauce and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add rice and cook, stirring regularly, for about 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• Add coconut milk, broth, and tomato paste. Stir until well combined.
• Add green peas and 1/2 of the green and red bell peppers and stir to combine.
• Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower heat, cover, and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for about 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork to distribute.
• Garnish with the remaining bell peppers and serve hot.

FILIPINO RICE (ARROZ VALENCIANA)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add paprika and mix well. Add chicken, sweet peas, olives, chorizo, salt, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Cover and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Add water; cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add sweet rice; mix well. Cover and cook until flavors blend, about 5 minutes.
• Pour coconut milk into the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add red bell pepper. Cover and cook until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink near the bone, about 10 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Garnish with hard-boiled eggs.

VALENCIAN RICE (ARROZ A LA VALENCIANA)

Steps:

• 1) Place the whole chicken in a pot. Pour enough water into the pot to barely cover the chicken. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and a pinch of poultry seasoning (optional).
• 2) Bring water to a boil, cover and cook at medium/low heat for about one hour. Turn the chicken over about half way through to insure even cooking. Keep an eye on it so that it will not dry out and burn. However, the level of the water at the end should be fairly low, so don't add a lot of water through the cooking process. The tighter your lid fits on the pot, the less water you will need to replace. Remove from heat and allow to cool until it can be handled comfortably.
• 3) Debone the chicken setting all the bones and skin aside in a bowl. Do not discard the broth from the chicken.
• 4) In a very large frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the diced tomatoes, bell pepper strips, chopped onions (both) and 1 teaspoon of salt. When white onions look transparent, add the tomato paste, capers and olives and stir. Add the sausage slices, shrimp, oysters, the de-boned chicken meat and whatever broth you had left. Now is also the time to add the wine or beer if you are using any.
• 5) Continue to stir over medium/low heat until the mixture becomes almost dry (broth has evaporated and been absorbed). Now add the cooked rice a little at a time while stirring. Finally, add the early peas and stir gently to blend them inches.
• 6) Serve hot accompanied by a large glass of Spanish Sangría poured over some ice, an orange wedge and a wedge of pineapple.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the oil in a pan. Add the strips of pepper and fry until they start to soften. Remove and reserve for garnish. Fry the chicken and rabbit at medium heat until golden brown, adding more oil, as necessary. Add the paprika half way through to add color to meat. Push the meat out to the edges of the pan and add the beans and tomatoes in the center, mixing them well. Add 1/2 the water making sure to cover the pan until it is 1/2 full. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Add the snails and cook for 5 or 10 minutes.
• Add the rice, distributing it evenly over the pan and fry for a few minutes, moving it around in the pan. Add the rest of the water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a pinch of saffron for colour. Once this is done the paella should not be stirred anymore.
• For the last 1 to 2 minutes increase the heat to medium-high, until the bottom layer of rice starts to caramelize, creating what Valencians call the "socarrat". If the rice starts to burn remove the pan from the heat immediately.
• Garnish the paella with the strips of red pepper and the sprigs of rosemary. Cover the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

ARROZ VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Dissolve the bouillon cube in 2 cups of hot water in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. dd the onions and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions start to become translucent, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until the chicken is opaque but not cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and turmeric and stir until the turmeric is evenly distributed. Add the sausage, raisins, coconut milk and bouillon broth and stir for 1 minute. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until almost all the liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes.
• Add the red and green bell peppers, carrots and peas and gently stir. Continue to cook the rice covered until the vegetables are slightly softened and there is no more liquid, about 10 minutes.
• Season with salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the hard-boiled eggs and scallions.