Eating paella means eating this kind of crispness, and dryness and crispness are the unique charm of paella. The Spanish chef's theory is that eating half-cooked rice grains can not only taste the original flavor of raw rice, but also taste the taste of seafood soup. Moreover, authentic paella must use Bomba rice produced in Valencia, Spain, which is moderately soft and chewy and will not rot for a long time. (The picture above shows the rice packaging that can be seen everywhere in Spanish supermarkets. Different brands, but the shape of rice is similar. Basically, every household uses this kind of rice to make paella. )
An interesting saying about Spanish "national meal";
A long time ago, Columbus was hit by a hurricane while sailing and almost died. After fighting the storm for four days and four nights, he fled to an island in Spain. Local fishermen invited him to eat paella. Because he was hungry and tired for several days, he suddenly ate a paella he had never eaten before. He thought it was the most wonderful and sumptuous meal of his life. Because this meal saved Columbus's life, the locals still call paella a "life-saving meal". Does this bridge remind you of Zhu Yuanzhang's pearl jade white jade soup? )
Later, Columbus told the king about it at a grand banquet held for him by the king of Spain. The king immediately ordered the fishermen on Xiaoyu Island to be rewarded, and the court chef immediately went to the island to learn from the scriptures and learn to cook paella. Later, paella was used to entertain the most distinguished guests in the palace. Since then, paella has become Spain's "national meal".
Things have come to an end here. Since it is called paella, seafood is indispensable, but back to the beginning of paella, there is no seafood in paella.
Solve the problem of uncooked rice, let's take a look at another misunderstanding of China people:
Paella = seafood fried rice? No, no, no
In fact, if we look up the English translation, we can easily conclude that the meaning of paella is not just the meaning of seafood.
Paella paella originated in Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, and it is also a transit hub between Madrid and Barcelona in many tourist routes.
The city is adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea and has a beautiful coastline. It is also one of the favorite beaches of the British and Europeans in summer. At the same time, the seaport here is also an important cargo port for dried salted duck, but there is a lack of fishing grounds nearby, so the price of seafood is not cheap. In the past, even when celebrating, the best ingredients were rabbits and wild ducks, and occasionally there was chicken. Usually, the main ingredients are meat or snails, which are very close to people.
Therefore, paella filled with shrimp, scallops and oysters is not the standard of paella, but it is a feast related to seafood after Chinese translation. Authentic paella Valencia is cooked with rabbit meat, chicken, lentils, snails and other ingredients. Of course, paella, which we are now familiar with, is also a later variant.
Whether at the state banquet held by the king or at the table of ordinary people, the Spanish love paella just as the China people love jiaozi. All kinds of paella can be eaten everywhere, whether in high-end hotels, restaurants or snack bars in streets and alleys. The cuttlefish rice shown below is also a very authentic Spanish food. Although it looks too dark to enter, it is a dish with a very high click-through rate. With local special sauces, it is full of fragrance. You may wish to try it when you have the opportunity.
When cooking paella, we should pay attention to using a round pot, and the depth of the pot should not exceed 3 cm. The paella cooked in this pot will have a burnt smell at the bottom. It can be said that this pot made paella, and then this dish was named after this pot. In China, we all know that paella refers to paella, but in fact, this word means "pot" in Latin, which shows the importance of this pot.
With this pot, paella has begun to take shape, and saffron can inject soul into the whole dish!
The essence of paella lies in this saffron. Without this saffron, rice would not be yellow, and it would be impossible to make golden paella. Crocus sativus can not only be tasted and dyed, but also significantly relieve the symptoms of headache, toothache and loss of appetite. Enthusiastic countries also like this bright and fiery flower. Spanish people love saffron for a reason. According to foreign medical research, the number of heart disease patients in Spain is much lower than that in other countries, which is related to the widespread consumption of saffron by Spanish people. Saffron is an indispensable seasoning in Mediterranean cuisine. It is not only the best companion for all kinds of rice, stews, stews and soups, but also put into desserts and wines, and has become a multifunctional seasoning in Spanish kitchens.
The origin of saffron
Because of the Tibetan characters in the name of saffron, many people in China mistakenly think that this powerful medicine comes from Qinghai-Tibet. In fact, saffron is produced in Europe and East Asia, and then spread to Tibet from India and Iran.
Saffron enjoys the best of three worlds:
First of all, it is the most expensive medicinal plant in the world;
Second, it is the best dye in the world;
Third, it is the most high-grade perfume in the world.
Well, through the above, we have a certain understanding of the background knowledge of paella. Let's take a concrete look at the production process of paella!
The picture comes from Spain OJOWORLD cultural training-personal tailor (a dried salted duck family cooks authentic paella by hand).
Prepare the ingredients as follows:
Main ingredients? A cup of squid/shrimp100g/clam100g/m.
Composition? Onion, tomato, diced red bell pepper/minced garlic/olive oil/peas/coriander/lemon
Seasoning? Saffron/salt/pepper/white wine/broth
Low heat, add oil, add onion, tomato, diced persimmon pepper and minced garlic.
Add saffron, salt and pepper and stir fry.
Add rice, stir-fry and add white wine.
Three cups of stock, boiled for 25 minutes.
After adding seafood, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
A decent paella is ready.