Chairoko and Kiiroko master Spanish Cuisine: Paella II

The team after their hard work cookin Paella

Ingredients for up to six people.

Use a large frying pan or sauteuse (more than 28 diameter). Use a shallow flat pan. It’s very important that rice height over pan surface will not exceed 2 centimetres.

Seafood:

• 12 (two each) fresh big shrimps (Malaysian tigers will do well), but you can use whatever specimen from your country. You can use defrosted ones if you like.
• Six medium squids (calamari) as the one you can see on the picture
• 1 medium Cuttlefish (this is additional stuff to add or a substitute for the squid
  500 grams fresh mussels
• 12 Norway lobster or crayfish (Spanish Cigala) is similar to river crabs. May be too difficult to find in your country.
• 400 gram small clams

Additional ingredients

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed (do not crush them if you don’t like garlic)
• Fresh parsley (minced if you like it)
• 1 generous pinch of saffron / tea spoon yellow food coloring
  ( This is up to you, we suggest food coloring the first times)
• 2 green peppers, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 4 small tomatoes / or natural tomato sauce
• 4 cups of rice
• 7 / 8 cups of water
• 1/3 cup of Olive Oil, add more if necessary according to pan dimensions
• Salt

Introduction

The main goal when you try to make paella it to “catch” the point to the rice. Let’s say somehow is like cooking “Maki” if the rice texture and flavour is no good all efforts are in vain. Only the experience and some tricks can help in this matter so we will give you the only ones that we have found useful:

• Add 1 cup of rice and little more than 2 water cups per person.
• Do not overheat the pan – use medium fire- when cooking the rice at the end
• Add water if needed (very little)
• Remove when the rice heart is still hard and serve immediately. If not the rice will overdo and texture quality is bad (we call it – se ha pasado el arroz-)

Cooking directions

Boil some water in a bowl and add the mussels and the clams. I you want to add a couple of marine crabs (small ones) it’s a good idea. When done just take apart and do not throw the water. Just let it there for a while.

Add oil to the pan and heat it up. Then add the garlic, tomatoes (that you will have to peel it up and smash previously if you don’t use sauce) and the sliced peppers. Add only one shrimp (do not peel them) and one crayfish (reserve the others). After cleaning and sliding those with a knife add the Calamari (Squids). Add also half the small clams (do no forget to keep the water after filtering it using paper or other device).

Remove it gently using medium to high fire until you notice the ingredients are almost done. (see our work in progress picture)

Now if you have all this done you actually can stop and take a rest. You have done the basic stuff.

Add the rice and the water (use some of the boiled water you kept after boiling the mussels and clams, this gives it a nice natural fishy flavour) . It’s a good moment to add the colouring food ingredient or saffron if you have not done it before.

Fifteen minutes are fine but keep an eye on it and do not overheat the pan (medium low fire is ok). Do not remove the rice! Just use a wood spoon or similar to move a little bit those spot that have run out of water.

Try the rice and add salt if needed or desired. When you have reached the desired rice cooking point remove it from fire (I usually do so when a little water is on it and rice is slightly hard).

Good luck! Chairoko and Kiiroko did it perfect with Grandma bunny.