This recipe is from Silvia LĂłpez from Spain
Here are the instructions on how to make a traditional Valencian paella. This is my mother’s recipe, and I’ve chosen a typical paella made of meat, because it’s my favourite. However, instead of meat you can choose to cook a paella made of fish, seafood or a mix of meat and seafood.
Silvia LĂłpez
Ingredients
For 6 people
- 100g rice for each person
- 1.75 litres water
- 100 ml of olive oil
- ½ chicken cut up into little chunks
- ½ rabbit cut up into little chunks
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes. Approximately 500g
- A red bell pepper, sliced
- A head of garlic
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon of yellow food colouring or saffron
Instructions
- Cut the red bell pepper into strips. Roast them using a pan; set aside.
- Fry the head of garlic; set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Place the chicken and rabbit pieces into the oil and fry lightly until golden brown on both sides (this takes about 5 minutes); set aside.
- Fry the chopped tomatoes, adding some salt. Cook for 5 minutes; set aside.
- Boil the water in a saucepan. Stir in the meat and the fried tomatoes. Let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes until it’s well combined and the meat is well done.
- Heat a little olive oil in a very large pan with two handles or paella pan over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.
- Add all the rice in one go, stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick.
- Immediately mix in the meat and tomato mixture. Stir it again.
- Add yellow food colouring or saffron.
- Taste the mixture. If you like, add a pinch of salt.
- Stir the mixture again to make sure it doesn’t stick.
- Spread the rice around the paella pan, (make sure the pieces of meat are well spaced. Remember that the bigger a paella pan is, the better, since a good paella mustn't be thick.)
- Let the paella cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Put the fried head of garlic in the middle of the paella, but if you don’t like the garlic taste, you can omit this step.
- Decoratively place the strips of pepper on top of the paella (drawing a daisy shape is the most common way)
- Continue cooking for 15 minutes over medium heat until the rice is done and the water has evaporated. Be careful! Make sure that the rice isn’t overcooked. Rice, in any good paella, has to be a bit hard, or chewy, but never tender. So, you’ll have to control the water level and the tenderness of the rice. If the rice appears to be getting too dry during the last 10 minutes, add more water. If the rice is too wet at the end of the 10 minutes, uncover and the unwanted liquid will evaporate.
- Turn off the heat.
- Cover the paella, and let it settle for 5 minutes
- Garnish with lemon wedges to serve.
Cooking a paella is as easy as it seems to be! Your delicious paella will be ready in no more than one and a half hour!
The finished dish
Your comments
What do you think of this recipe? Have you tried it?
Send in your comments and we'll put our favourites on this page.
This topic has now closed. Thanks for all your comments.
Ginny, South Korea
Can I put cheese in them??Haha~~
Nony, London
I like Any recipe containing rice>>thank so muchI might make it for my hosband in one day>>>>but Unfortunately he does not like rabbit.but i can make it without rabbit,
Egypt
i love it,thank you Silvia
Marcar, BR
As I undertood, because it's said that the recipe is for six people, 1.7 litres are for all of them. For three people, 300g of rice and 650 ml of water. If one amount is proportional to another, the two amounts increase and and decrease at the same rate, maintaining the relashionship between them. I did this recipe for only two people, proportionally, and it was ok! It was great!
Inoue Kensuke, Japan
I have never cooked Paella,but I think I can do it because of this page.This Paella looks really delicious.
Maju, Peru
this receip look delicious¡¡¡
Chen, China
Great
Popi, Greece
I like very much paella with seafood and I will try your recipe. Just one clarifiction: rice 100g for each person and the liquid is always constant 1.7 litres for two, three, or more people?Thanks
Yoona,South Korea
Thank for your recipe.I love Paella.It is very interesting~~
Jinny, Korea
YUMMY!!
Thoma , Korea
That is a cracker.
Marie, Italy
I am going make it this evening. Thanks.
Giorgio, Asti, Italy
Wonderful, Silvia remind me of my holiday in Spain, near Valencia, in which I had paella for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I loved it. A delicious recipe given by a very nice girl. Really a dream.
Dung, Vietnam
i'm sure that in the future, i'll try cooking it for my family.
Tony, Spain
I love "Paella" and "Tortilla of Potatoes"
Hassa, UAE
i think its good idea to make it for family but i did not try yet
Marcelo, Brazil
I don not know that paella is very easy to prepare (I did it), and It is very tasteful!
Summer, Korea
wow
Sara, Morocco
I know this dish.It's very delicious.but your way of presenting it makes it very easy to prepare.
John Ortiz, Colombbia
I'll try to cook that Paella, looks very tasty. Thank you.
Hammou Abdellah, Algeria
While reading recipe, I could smell what Silvia is preparing.And especially meat,rubbit,.....etc. Thank you very much GOOO ONNNNN.
Franca, Italy
your paella sounds deliciously, I'd like to try it but I haven't got the right pan. where can I buy it?
Marilia, Brazil
I love Paella, my mother always makes it and her paella is made from sea food and chicken. It's delicious! I'll try your recipe now, thanks
Jennifer, Costa Rica
I thinK, it´s a great food, for enjoy with family
Elena, Italy
I'm gonna try tomorrow, your description it's so inviting and also very accurate! but I am wondering if I could use a single pan and fry the ingredients one by one but using the same oil or I'd better replace the oil after every single use.
Alberto Valverde
Do you know tha "paella" is the right name of de specific pan where we cook this wonderfull dish?