Vegan Paella with Vegetables
4
servings1
hour10
minutesPaella is, without a doubt, one of the signature dishes of Spanish cuisine. Originally from the Spanish Community of Valencia, it has risen to the very top and become one of the most typical and popular dishes of the country, with various adaptations.
The Paella is usually prepared on Sundays, to enjoy a day with the family at home or at the restaurant – especially around the country’s many coastal areas.
Although Valencias are very specific about their meat-based Paella (and would simply call anything else “rice with things”), we can find different variations throughout Spain. Most famous to most may be the “Paella Marinera”, with seafood and fish, but it is also very common to find different vegan Paellas – which are by no means any less delicious.
To cook a paella, there are two very important factors: a special Paella Pan (“Paellera”) and the typical round rice “arroz bomba”). To be clear: it is perfectly acceptable to venture away from meat- or seafood-based Paellas, but as soon as you use Basmati rice and a normal pan, it is not a Paella.
A paella pan of around 40 cm, such as this one should be good for 4 – 5 people.
Ingredients
500 grams of round rice
2 large carrots
2 green bell peppers
1/2 red bell bell pepper
250 g mushrooms
5 spring garlic
6 garlic cloves
10 green asparagus
100 g dried mushrooms
3 tomatoes
120 ml vegetable stock
1/2 glass of white wine
1 pinch of saffron
1 teaspoon of turmeric or food coloring
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
Olive oil
Salt
Preparation
- Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl with water to hydrate them (about 15 minutes).
- Heat the vegetable stock in a saucepan so that when it is added to the rice it is hot and does not interrupt the cooking of the food.
- Clean and cut the vegetables (carrots, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms, spring garlic and asparagus) into medium-sized pieces and set aside.
- Chop the garlic cloves and blend the tomatoes, set aside.
- With the help of a strainer, add the water from the soaked mushrooms to the vegetable stock. This will add even more flavor and darken the broth a little.
- Heat a good splash of olive oil in a paella pan (the specific pan for making paella).
- Add the red bell pepper, the green bell pepper, the spring garlic, the carrot and the pinch of saffron (we have used saffron threads) and sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Add the chopped garlic and hydrated mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomato and increase the heat to high. Add salt to taste.
- When the tomato has cooked for a few minutes (it bubbles and has changed color a little) lower the heat and add a splash of white wine and the asparagus.
- Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the rice, stir a little to mix well and add the hot vegetable stock. From this point on, do not mix or stir the rice! The paella pan will make sure that it cooks well (and it is completely fine if it slightly burns on the bottom)
- Add the teaspoon of turmeric and sweet paprika.
- Cook 10 minutes on high heat and 10 minutes more on medium – low heat. (Depending on the type of rice)
- Let it rest 5 minutes before serving.
