Paella, The Most Famous Spanish Dish

First of all, paella is not exactly the dish but the recipient this typical plate is cooked in. We all have seen the paella pan before when visiting Spain or browsing the net for paella recipes

The typical paella a la valenciana was "invented" in a small village called El Perelló close to the city of Valencia. The unique situation of the village between a natural lake with sweet water and the sea provided to the habitants of the area all they needed to make a complete dish with many of the most important vitamins and minerals in a balanced combination.

With farmlands at hand where they grew rice and beans, the sea for shellfish and the lake for ducks together with their chickens gave the people of the area all they needed to make 2 different versions of the paella a la valenciana.

The first one is the paella made of meat. This paella is a combination of chicken and duck together with rice, lemon, olive oil, beans and saffron. But nowadays the duck is most of the times substituted by rabbit which is a lot easier to get and cheaper.

This type of paella is still very popular amongst the people of Valencia and it is very common to hear people say: "Sunday I am going to eat paella with my parents".

In the old days the paella was served in the paella pan and all who joined in at the table ate from the same pan with wooden spoons. Today most people prefer to have their portion on a plate.

Another typical paella was the one made of seafood, Paella de marisco. This paella is made of rice and seafood. The used ingredients are: sepia, calamares, lobster, mejillón o clotxina, garlic, lemon, rice, saffron, olive oil and beans ( octopus, squid and mussel) Clotxina is a smaller variation of the regular mussel.

The Recipe of the paella Valenciana

The quantities are /person

o Chicken (150 grs.)

o Rabit (150 grs.)

o Red paprika powder.

o Saffron

o 3 table spoons of natural tomato

o Green beans (70 grs.).

o Garrofón (a type of bean typical to Valencia (25 grs.)

o Haricot bean (25 grs.).

o water

o Olive oil (5 table spoons).

o Rice (125 grs.)

o Salt

o If you like it: half artichoke

Preparing the ingredients and the paella pan

The traditional way to prepare a paella is on a campfire but this is difficult to achieve at home so there is a very good alternative for this which is the double gas ring on a tripod with a bottle of gas.

The most important points according my mother in law when preparing the paella are: the fire below the paella pan must be the same on every part of the pan, you must be able to adjust the fire in 2 rings an outer and an inner ring and the paella must be completely in balance so that when you add water the level should be the same everywhere on the paella pan.

Preparing the paella Valenciana

Step one: 12 hours before starting to prepare the paella put the garrofón (a type of bean typical to Valencia) in water.

Step 2: Put the olive oil in the pan and when the oil is hot put in the chicken and rabbit and fry them until they have this golden look. We should try to distribute the pieces of meat evenly in the paella pan.

Step 3: Now we put in the different beans and the garrofón and fry them. If we want to add alcachofa (artichoke) we can add it now also. Make sure the fire is not very intense but neither to low.

Step 4: Add to the paella the red paprika powder and the natural tomato and mix them with the other ingredients.

Step 5: After a few minutes we add water to the paella. This is another crucial step in preparing a tasteful paella. If we add to much water, the paella will be to weak and if we add to little the rice will not be boiled sufficiently. But there is a small insiders trick to know what the right level is. On the outside of the paella pan there are 2 grips attached. They are attached to the pan with rivets who are clearly visible on the inside of the pan. This is the level of the water that must be added. Don't add more or less water it will ruin your paella.

Step 6: Put the fire intensity on high but not to high. We leave the paella now boiling for 3 - 5 minutes and then we lower the intensity of the fire to medium. Try the paella and if needed add salt to it. Leave the paella this way for about 13 - 17 minutes depending on the type of rice you used.

Step 7: A step that is forgotten by most people, turn out the fire and cover the paella with kitchen paper and leave the paella alone for another 5 - 10 minutes.

In the meanwhile cut a lemon in 4 and when the 5 or 10 minutes have passed you can put the lemon on the outside of the paella.

Serve separately with onion (my father in law and myself like to eat the paella with raw onion in one hand and the spoon in the other)

Preferred drink to go with the paella : a red wine from Valencia especially from the area of Utiel / Requena. (other Spanish wines will do also of course).

Enjoy this typical plate of Valencia

Peter Vermeeren lives and works in Valencia. His personal website is all about Valencia. Married to a Valencian lady gives him a priviliged insight in all aspects of life in Valencia. His site provides visitors and people who want to start living in Valencia with expert information. visit his site here: Valencia|Paella|Playa [http://www.about-valencia.com]

Friends Link : cuisinart chef's classic stainless steel 10 piece anolon advanced cookware set

Qabili Palau formula - A famous Afghan Dish

Qabili Palau is widely regarded as Afghanistan's national dish. It is best described as rice cooked in a broth-like sauce, then baked in an oven and topped with julienne carrots, raisins and chopped nuts. If meat is added, it's usually lamb, chicken or beef; the meat will be covered by the rice.

The most important step towards any good palau is the rice; use the best Basmati rice you can find, and don't be cheap about it. The rice should be cooked so that is neither dry nor wet: sticky rice is a big no-no. If you've spoiled the rice, it's good to make someone else batch than to continue; all the Afghan population will thank you for it.

Vegetarian Dishes

The Ingredients:

3 cups Basmati Rice
10 chicken pieces (drumsticks and top quantum of wings are great! Alternatively - used lamb)
2 yellow or brown onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 small carrots
1 cup of raisins
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1.5 table spoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
12 cups of water (estimate - use your judgment!)
Salt (according to your tastes)
Browning Sauce (this is optional - it's purely to make your sauce look more brown)

The Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Chop and saute some onions in a pan over high heat until the onion is a nice brown; this should take about 5-6 minutes. Don't burn the onions!

If the chicken pieces are too big, cut them into tiny pieces. However, if using drumsticks and wings, it's best to leave them as is there is nothing nicer than biting into a nice, juicy drumstick.
Add the chicken into the pan and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt (both of which supply a much good taste than quarterly table salt. Cook the chicken over medium-to-high heat for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally to get an even golden brown on all sides. At this point in time, the onions will start to caramelize nicely, and there will be a nice, thick sauce. Add about a quarter cup of chicken broth, then continue stirring until the liquid dries up, at which point put someone else quarter cup in again, and repeat until you've used all the chicken broth. This truly gives the chicken that extra flavor! Once the thick sauce is truly good and going, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and let the whole thing simmer for around 10 minutes. Then, take off the chicken from the brown broth, and set aside (keep warm). Stir in the ground cumin (2 teaspoons), ground cardamom (1.5 teaspoons) and the crushed black pepper (0.5 teaspoon) into the broth and continue to cook on low heat for someone else 5 minutes. This allows the spices to get their flavor into the broth.

Immerse the rice wholly in a bowl of water, and drain in a colander. Repeat this step a few times, until the water that you're draining becomes clear.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in a dutch oven, or truly any sort of pot that has a fitted lid. This is where the 12 cups of water come in. Put some salt into the water before cooking the rice, so that your rice will just have that hint of saltiness to it when cooked. Cook the rice until it is just ever so slightly crunchy (nearly cooked), then strain any remaining water. Put the rice into a cooking pot, add the ready broth. Make sure the broth and the rice mix well and add the chicken pieces on top. Cover the pot with foil, and then with the lid.

Bake the rice for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Once you've put the rice into the oven, julienne the carrots, and do a quick stir-fry with them, along with raisins. You'll be putting them into the pot, but you want to be stir-frying them just enough so that they're slightly cooked, but do not overdo it, as you will be putting them into the pot, and let the cooking process unblemished in the oven. Set aside.

Once the 20 minutes have passed, take it out, and put the julienne carrots and raisins into the pot.

Reduce the oven's temperature down to 250 degrees, and let it cook for someone else 20 minutes.

Once that's done, take the pot out from the oven.

Arrange the chicken pieces on a large platter. Then cover it with the rice. Make sure that the carrots and raisins are evenly spread in the rice; you don't want them to be just piled all up in one spot (it's all about aesthetics!).

Qabili Palau formula - A famous Afghan Dish

Relate Link all clad 12 quart stainless steel multi cooker lodge logic pre seasoned 15 inch cast iron skillet anolon advanced 10 piece set

Qabili Palau Recipe - A Famous Afghan Dish

Qabili Palau is widely regarded as Afghanistan's national dish. It is best described as rice cooked in a broth-like sauce, then baked in an oven and topped with julienne carrots, raisins and chopped nuts. If meat is added, it's usually lamb, chicken or beef; the meat will be covered by the rice.

The most important step towards any good palau is the rice; use the best Basmati rice you can find, and don't be cheap about it. The rice should be cooked so that is neither dry nor wet: sticky rice is a big no-no. If you've spoiled the rice, it's better to make another batch than to continue; all the Afghan people will thank you for it.

The Ingredients:

3 cups Basmati Rice
10 chicken pieces (drumsticks and top portion of wings are great! Alternatively - used lamb)
2 yellow or brown onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 small carrots
1 cup of raisins
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1.5 table spoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
12 cups of water (estimate - use your judgment!)
Salt (according to your tastes)
Browning Sauce (this is optional - it's purely to make your sauce look more brown)

The Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Chop and saute some onions in a pan over high heat until the onion is a nice brown; this should take about 5-6 minutes. Don't burn the onions!

If the chicken pieces are too big, cut them into tiny pieces. However, if using drumsticks and wings, it's best to leave them as is there is nothing nicer than biting into a nice, juicy drumstick.

Add the chicken into the pan and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt (both of which provide a much better taste than regular table salt.
Cook the chicken over medium-to-high heat for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally to get an even golden brown on all sides.
At this point in time, the onions will start to caramelize nicely, and there will be a nice, thick sauce.
Add about a quarter cup of chicken broth, then continue stirring until the liquid dries up, at which point put another quarter cup in again, and repeat until you've used all the chicken broth.
This really gives the chicken that extra flavor! Once the thick sauce is truly good and going, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and let the whole thing simmer for around 10 minutes. Then, remove the chicken from the brown broth, and set aside (keep warm).
Stir in the ground cumin (2 teaspoons), ground cardamom (1.5 teaspoons) and the crushed black pepper (0.5 teaspoon) into the broth and continue to cook on low heat for another 5 minutes.
This allows the spices to get their flavor into the broth.

Immerse the rice completely in a bowl of water, and drain in a colander. Repeat this step a few times, until the water that you're draining becomes clear.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in a dutch oven, or really any sort of pot that has a fitted lid. This is where the 12 cups of water come in. Put some salt into the water before cooking the rice, so that your rice will just have that hint of saltiness to it when cooked. Cook the rice until it is just ever so slightly crunchy (nearly cooked), then strain any remaining water. Put the rice into a cooking pot, add the prepared broth. Make sure the broth and the rice mix well and add the chicken pieces on top. Cover the pot with foil, and then with the lid.

Bake the rice for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Once you've put the rice into the oven, julienne the carrots, and do a quick stir-fry with them, along with raisins. You'll be putting them into the pot, but you want to be stir-frying them just enough so that they're slightly cooked, but do not overdo it, as you will be putting them into the pot, and let the cooking process complete in the oven. Set aside.

Once the 20 minutes have passed, take it out, and put the julienne carrots and raisins into the pot.

Reduce the oven's temperature down to 250 degrees, and let it cook for another 20 minutes.

Once that's done, take the pot out from the oven.

Arrange the chicken pieces on a large platter. Then cover it with the rice. Make sure that the carrots and raisins are evenly spread in the rice; you don't want them to be just piled all up in one spot (it's all about aesthetics!).

You may also visit World Cuisine for a comprehensive list of mouthwatering recipes.

See Also : breville sk500xl ikon cordless 1.7 liter stainless kitchenaid gourmet essentials 12 piece

Paella, The Most Famous Spanish Dish

First of all, paella is not exactly the dish but the recipient this typical plate is cooked in. We all have seen the paella pan before when visiting Spain or browsing the net for paella recipes

The typical paella a la valenciana was "invented" in a small village called El Perelló close to the city of Valencia. The unique situation of the village between a natural lake with sweet water and the sea provided to the habitants of the area all they needed to make a complete dish with many of the most important vitamins and minerals in a balanced combination.

Vegetarian Dishes

With farmlands at hand where they grew rice and beans, the sea for shellfish and the lake for ducks together with their chickens gave the people of the area all they needed to make 2 different versions of the paella a la valenciana.

The first one is the paella made of meat. This paella is a combination of chicken and duck together with rice, lemon, olive oil, beans and saffron. But nowadays the duck is most of the times substituted by rabbit which is a lot easier to get and cheaper.

This type of paella is still very popular amongst the people of Valencia and it is very common to hear people say: "Sunday I am going to eat paella with my parents".

In the old days the paella was served in the paella pan and all who joined in at the table ate from the same pan with wooden spoons. Today most people prefer to have their portion on a plate.

Another typical paella was the one made of seafood, Paella de marisco. This paella is made of rice and seafood. The used ingredients are: sepia, calamares, lobster, mejillón o clotxina, garlic, lemon, rice, saffron, olive oil and beans ( octopus, squid and mussel) Clotxina is a smaller variation of the regular mussel.

The Recipe of the paella Valenciana

The quantities are /person

o Chicken (150 grs.)

o Rabit (150 grs.)

o Red paprika powder.

o Saffron

o 3 table spoons of natural tomato

o Green beans (70 grs.).

o Garrofón (a type of bean typical to Valencia (25 grs.)

o Haricot bean (25 grs.).

o water

o Olive oil (5 table spoons).

o Rice (125 grs.)

o Salt

o If you like it: half artichoke

Preparing the ingredients and the paella pan

The traditional way to prepare a paella is on a campfire but this is difficult to achieve at home so there is a very good alternative for this which is the double gas ring on a tripod with a bottle of gas.

The most important points according my mother in law when preparing the paella are: the fire below the paella pan must be the same on every part of the pan, you must be able to adjust the fire in 2 rings an outer and an inner ring and the paella must be completely in balance so that when you add water the level should be the same everywhere on the paella pan.

Preparing the paella Valenciana

Step one: 12 hours before starting to prepare the paella put the garrofón (a type of bean typical to Valencia) in water.

Step 2: Put the olive oil in the pan and when the oil is hot put in the chicken and rabbit and fry them until they have this golden look. We should try to distribute the pieces of meat evenly in the paella pan.

Step 3: Now we put in the different beans and the garrofón and fry them. If we want to add alcachofa (artichoke) we can add it now also. Make sure the fire is not very intense but neither to low.

Step 4: Add to the paella the red paprika powder and the natural tomato and mix them with the other ingredients.

Step 5: After a few minutes we add water to the paella. This is another crucial step in preparing a tasteful paella. If we add to much water, the paella will be to weak and if we add to little the rice will not be boiled sufficiently. But there is a small insiders trick to know what the right level is. On the outside of the paella pan there are 2 grips attached. They are attached to the pan with rivets who are clearly visible on the inside of the pan. This is the level of the water that must be added. Don't add more or less water it will ruin your paella.

Step 6: Put the fire intensity on high but not to high. We leave the paella now boiling for 3 - 5 minutes and then we lower the intensity of the fire to medium. Try the paella and if needed add salt to it. Leave the paella this way for about 13 - 17 minutes depending on the type of rice you used.

Step 7: A step that is forgotten by most people, turn out the fire and cover the paella with kitchen paper and leave the paella alone for another 5 - 10 minutes.

In the meanwhile cut a lemon in 4 and when the 5 or 10 minutes have passed you can put the lemon on the outside of the paella.

Serve separately with onion (my father in law and myself like to eat the paella with raw onion in one hand and the spoon in the other)

Preferred drink to go with the paella : a red wine from Valencia especially from the area of Utiel / Requena. (other Spanish wines will do also of course).

Enjoy this typical plate of Valencia

Paella, The Most Famous Spanish Dish

Peter Vermeeren lives and works in Valencia. His personal website is all about Valencia. Married to a Valencian lady gives him a priviliged insight in all aspects of life in Valencia. His site provides visitors and people who want to start living in Valencia with expert information. visit his site here: Valencia|Paella|Playa [http://www.about-valencia.com]

Tags : cuisinart multiclad pro stainless steel 12 piece calphalon contemporary nonstick

Famous Chinese Dishes

As quoted by someone, the saying that "Chinese not just enjoy eating but believe eating good dishes may bring harmony and closeness towards the family and relationships" is true. Chinese dishes are extremely unique and tasty dishes that have gained acceptance and found its variations on the way.

The philosophy of Yin and Yang finds prominence in Chinese dishes. The Chinese keep things in balance within the dishes texture, color and flavor by using the fundamental principles of yin and Huaiyang dishes which have the cooling properties are believed to have yin and people things that possess the warm properties are believed to have yang. The concept would be to achieve a proper balance between your two.

Vegetarian Dishes

The Chinese dishes behold quite a number from different regions with a few mouthwatering dishes. The fundamental Chinese dishes are split into 8 regional cuisines.

Shandong Dishes:

The Shandong dishes provide a large amount of prominence towards the soups. Additionally, it runs on the mixture of the Jinan dishes and Jiaodong dishes. The real key of the dishes would be that the dishes items are fresh and crisp and usually non greasy. The Chinese cuisines owned by this category in addition have a strong aroma. The soups if thin in the consistency, do understand and when thick are extremely creamy having a strong flavor. There is lots of deep-frying, stir-frying, pan-frying and grilling utilized by Jinan chefs. Further, the Jiaodong cooks are recognized for dishes items having a light taste. A few of the famous Chinese cuisines with this category are Bird's Nest Soup and Yellow River Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce.

Huaiyang Dishes:

This Huaiyang dishes make use of crustaceans and fresh fish to be the main components and it is extremely popular within the lower regions of the Yangtze River, where the cooking methods employed are roasting, braising, simmering and stewing. The carving skills from the dishes are extremely popular with this kind of dishes. A few of the famous Chinese dishes of the variety consists of Stewed Crab Soup, Duck Triplet, Liangxi Crisp Eel, Crystal Meat and Long-boiled,Dry-shredded Meat.

Sichuan Dishes:

This is actually the most well-known Chinese dishes on the planet. The Sichuan dishes offer some spicy as well as hot flavors because of the emphasis from the utilization of chili. One more reason for that typical taste it provides may be the technique Pepper and also prickly ash through the chefs. It lends uniqueness towards the dish. The fundamental cooking techniques owned by this category make use of a large amount of pickling, braising as well as frying devoid of oil. A few of the hottest and spiciest well-known Chinese dishes with this category continues to be Kung Pao Chicken, Twice Cooked Pork, Tasty and Spicy Crab and also Water-Boiled Fish.

Hunan Dishes:

The Hunan Dishes includes a typical thick and sharp flavor. This really is because of the technique Pepper, chili and shallot within the dishes prepared. This dish comes with an ideal mixture of the neighborhood dishes. The famous Chinese dishes items set under this category are the Dongan Chicken, Lotus Seeds in Rock Sugar Syrup and also the Sizzling Rice Soup.

Fujian Dishes:

The Fujian Dishes is renowned for an array of sea cuisine. This Fujian Dishes are characteristic because of the myriad colors and also the mouthwatering mixture of the sweet, salty and sour tastes within the dishes items. Another essential feature may be the pickled taste. The famous Chinese dishes components of the Fujian Dishes would be the Snow Poultry, Prawn with Dragon's Entire body, Phoenix's tail and also the Buddha Jumping Over the Wall.

Anhui Dishes:

Also called the Hui Cai, it includes the specialties from the South Anhui, Yanjiang and Huai Bei. This cooking demands lots of focus on the temperature from the dishes being cooked as well as the taste and color of the bathroom. The bathroom is recognized to develop the power of the individual. The dishes menus contain Bamboo shoots prepared with sausage and dehydrated mushroom, Li Hongzhang Hotchpotch, Stewed shell turtle with ham and also the Stewed Snapper.

Zhejiang Dishes:

Also called the Zhe Cai, it includes the specialties from the Hangzhou, Ningbo and also the Shao Xing dishes. The cooking techniques employ using various means like stewing, deep frying, sautéing and stir-frying. A few of the famous Chinese dishes items would be the Longjing Shelled Shrimp, Sour West Lake Fish and Beggar's Chicken.

Cantonese Guangdong Dishes:

The cooking methods employed for this dishes change from others the flavor and as well as the recyclables used. There's a strong increased exposure of the sea cuisine as well as mixed flavorings. The dishes taste clean, light and very fresh. Once the chefs prepare Guangdong Dishes, they need to use ways of deep-frying, stewing, braising, roasting, stir-frying, sautéing and steaming. When the dishes are prepared, the chefs also go an additional mile within the presentation too. Popular cuisines include Steamed Sea Bass, Roasted Piglet, Dim Sum and Shark Fin Soup.

Famous Chinese Dishes

If you think this Chinese food has excited your appetite, just go to Food Chinese for tips to make lip-smacking and delectable Chinese Dishes.

Recommend : t fal signature hard anodized 12 piece cookware