Spanish · serves 2
Paella
One pan, no stirring, and a crisp layer of rice at the bottom that people fight over.
Ingredients
- 2 cups short grain or bomba rice
- 400g chicken, cubed
- 300g prawns
- 1 onion, 1 capsicum, chopped
- 4 tomatoes, grated
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp saffron in warm water
- 2 tsp paprika
- 5 cups hot stock
- 1 cup peas
- Lemon
- Olive oil
Method
- Brown the chicken in olive oil in a wide shallow pan. Take out.
- Onion, capsicum and garlic, then grated tomato and paprika. Cook 8 minutes till dark and jammy.
- Rice in, stirred for 2 minutes to coat.
- Hot stock and saffron water, chicken back in. Spread everything flat and level.
- Now do not stir again. Not once. Stirring makes risotto; paella needs the rice undisturbed to form the crust.
- 18 minutes on medium, prawns and peas pressed in for the last 6. Listen for a faint crackle at the end — that's the socarrat. Rest 5 minutes, lemon.