You have arrived! If you are looking for the definitive recipe for traditional Valencian paella, you are just a few lines away from getting it. In this article we give you the ingredients of the authentic Valencian paella and tell you the whole process of cooking it, whether you choose to cook it with wood or gas.
And to begin with, we will tell you that our recipe cannot miss a typical Valencian ingredient, the garrofón.
In Peris we are producers and marketers of native garrofón of the Valencian Community
in its three varieties: garrofón pintado (garrofó pintat), garrofón de la cella (garrofó de la cella) and garrofón de ojo de perdiz (garrofó ull de perdiu). Any of the three is optimal to use as an ingredient in your paella.
The advice we give you is that the locust bean should be from the Valencian Community, since there are many varieties from other countries in the market. So our recommendation is that you pay attention to the origin, since the native Valencian locust bean has a delicate skin, barely imperceptible, and a soft interior with a buttery texture, as opposed to locust beans from other origins whose skin is thicker and the pulp sandy. Nothing to see.
It will add an exquisite touch to your paella and it is also a very healthy food. If you are curious about the nutritional benefits of the dried locust bean, we can tell you that, according to the Spanish Nutrition Federation (FEN), it is a food with high in fiber, protein, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and folic acid. It is also a source of zinc.
Well, now, let’s get down to business! Well, put on your apron and let’s get started 🙂
Valencian paella ingredients, for six people
- -750g of round or bomba rice.
- A free-range chicken.
- Half a rabbit.
- ½ kg flat green bean.
- 1 tub of 150g of Peris dry garrofón. It will be necessary to hydrate and boil it beforehand.
- 1 artichoke per person, quartered (optional).
- 250g of snails (optional)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- Sweet paprika
- 1 ripe tomato, grated
- Saffron.
- Fresh rosemary, one sprig
- Salt
- Water
Preparation of the original Valencian paella recipe, gas or wood fired
The first decision to make a paella is the fire: gas or wood. The second decision is the rice: normal round or bomba, since we will have to use double the amount of water per rice for the round and triple the amount of water for the bomba variety.
We are going to prepare the paella thinking that the layer of rice is of a finger, neither too thin nor too thick. To do this, we will choose a paella pan of about 50cm. in diameter (remember that the recipe is for 6 people).
Level the paella with water. When it is leveled, remove the water, turn on a medium heat, pour half a glass of EVOO and fry the chicken and rabbit, previously seasoned, until browned and well done, as long as necessary and without burning the oil.
Once browned, move the meat to the edges of the paella pan and in the center add the chopped flat beans along with the snails and artichokes.
Once these ingredients are sautéed, add the grated tomato and the tub of Peris Valencian beans (hydrated for 12 hours and previously boiled for an hour and a half or 30 minutes in an express pot). It is time to add the paprika and saffron, avoid burning and add the water we had prepared depending on the amount of rice (125g per person).
It is important to pay attention to the water level in the paella, since before adding the rice we must equalize the water lost in the evaporation. Switch to full power on gas or, if you have chosen to make it with wood, add reeds and thin branches to get an intense boiling spread throughout the paella.
We will need to boil all the ingredients for 30 minutes, taste the broth to adjust the salt. We prepare ourselves for the final point, we replace fire with intermediate firewood, we adjust the water again and with the boiling we add the rice in cross and we distribute it by the paella. We add the sprig of rosemary in the center and it will not be touched anymore. 10 minutes at high heat and 8 minutes at almost minimum heat until it sizzles. It must be completely dry. Turn off or remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
And now… let’s enjoy an authentic Valencian paella!