Paella
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 L Vegetable Stock
- Pinch of Saffron or ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 Onion Peeled and Chopped
- ½ Red Bell Pepper and 3 Spring Onions or any other vegetables you have in your fridge
- 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped
- 1 Large Tomato diced, or ½ Tinned Tomatoes
- 220 g Basmati Rice
- ½ tsp Sweet Paprika (Optional)
- 1 tsp Curry Powder
- Handful Fresh Herbs e.g. Parsley or Coriander
- Juice ½ Lime
- 2 Handfuls Frozen Peas or any other vegetable you like
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add the vegetable stock and turmeric, or saffron. Heat on low so that the stock is barely simmering.
- Add 2 tbsp of the oil to a large saucepan on a low heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, red bell peppers and spring onions to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften, stirring frequently.
- Now add the tomatoes and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle over the paprika and curry powder. Stir the veg well and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and you can smell the aroma of the spices.
- Add the rice and the remaining oil into the pan. Stir well.
- Sprinkle over any fresh herbs and seasoning according to taste. From now, STOP STIRRING THE PAELLA! You want to try and create a bit of a crust at the base of the paella, so it’s important to not stir the rice anymore and allow this crust to form.
- Carefully pour in the hot vegetable stock and let it settle on top without stirring it. Let the rice simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Now, reduce the heat to a low so that the rice is barely simmering for a further 20-25 minutes. After 18 minutes or so you should find that most of the vegetable stock has cooked off. If you’re brave, you can wait an extra 2-3 minutes longer and try to create a thicker crust at the base of the pan – but be careful because if you wait too long, the crust will burn!
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the peas to the pan and cover with a lid. Let the peas slowly defrost in the steam for 5-7 minutes.
- To serve, you can add some extra fresh herbs, lime segments and lime juice for an extra zesty burst. Enjoy!