Top chef Jani Paasikoski knows how to make an authentic paella. He will compete in the World Paella Championships in Valencia on Tuesday.
Jamie Oliver caused a social storm when he shared his paella recipe on Twitter in 2016. The famous British chef’s recipe included chicken and chorizo in the well-known Spanish rice dish. The recipe sent the Spaniards into a frenzy immediately. They think Oliver ruined the paella, because chorizo never, under any circumstances, belongs in paella.
Oliver announced that he stands by his recipe, as he said from the beginning it was his own version of the rice dish. Twitter users who are passionate about Paella were not reassured by this. The celebrity chef was told to stop cooking chicken nuggets in the future and he was called a food terrorist, among other things.
Paella is an important food for the Spanish. It’s home cooking, which has different ways to prepare it, but which also involves boundaries that shouldn’t be broken. Apple also got to experience it when it released an emoji in which a pea and shrimp were sizzling in a paella. The avalanche of feedback made Apple bend and correct the raw materials of its emoji.
Different versions in different parts of Spain
But what kind of orthodox paella is it if you can’t put peas or chorizo in it?
The right person to answer that Jani Paasikoski, who has lived in Spain for 27 years of his life. During this time, the man has worked in numerous different restaurants both in Fuengirola, in the Valencia region, and in Michelin-starred places in Barcelona.
– Paella is made from the round-grain bomba rice variety. Bomba absorbs three times the amount of broth and that means it has the most flavor, says Paasikoski.
Rice is and will remain, but other than that, the ingredients for paella vary slightly depending on where you are in Spain.
– Valencian paella, the authentic and original one, because paella’s roots go back to the Valencia region, always contains chicken, rabbit, local green beans, saffron and olive oil, Paasikoski says.
The Andalusian paella, which contains seafood, is probably more famous in the world than the Valencian paella. Seafood is also included in Arroz a banda, prepared in the Alicante style. In Galicia, on the other hand, paella is always black, because it is dyed with octopus ink.
Do not mix
In Spain, paella is usually eaten at lunchtime, as it is considered too heavy for dinner. The best part of the paella is the socarrat, that is, the crispy rice at the bottom of the pan, which is rich in flavor. In the preparation of paella, the most important thing is that once the rice is added to the pan, it is not mixed at all. Here, paella is significantly different from risotto.
– It is a common mistake to start mixing the rice, Jani Paasikoski says.
The top chef’s own favorite paella is seafood paella.
– In my opinion, it has the most great marine flavor, because the bottom fry and broth require both fresh and first-class seafood as raw materials, which you can taste in the end result. I also enjoy the nice bit of finger eating that cleaning different shellfish requires.
On Tuesday, September 20, Paasikoski will represent Finland in the World Paella Cup, where the jury has chosen 10 finalists from among 47 candidates. The purpose is to find the world’s best paella chef outside of Spain. The competition will take place in Valencia, where the finalists have already been traveling for the weekend to familiarize themselves with the history of paella.
In the competition, Paasikoski’s task is to prepare one traditional paella and one paella that tells about his own roots. The competition is part of the World Paella Day event, which aims to spread knowledge of the traditional dish around the world. Paasikoski plans to offer the judges a piece of Finnish food culture in the form of reindeer paella.
Paella Valenciana, i.e. traditional Valencian paella
for four people in a 40 cm paella pan
350 g / 4 dl Bomba rice
800 g chicken, cut into pieces
400 g rabbit, cut into pieces
100 ml of cold-pressed virgin olive oil
200 g of green beans
2 cloves of garlic
100 g of butter beans
2 ripe tomatoes
25 pieces of saffron lead
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika powder
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
salt
1. Soak the saffron bulbs in 0.5 deciliters of hot water.
2. Season the chicken and rabbit pieces with salt.
3. Wash the green beans and cut them into pieces of about 4 centimeters.
4. Wash the tomatoes and grate them into puree with a grater.
5. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.
6. Add olive oil to the paella pan, heat well and evenly brown the chicken and rabbit pieces.
7. Add more beans and fry lightly.
8. Add the butter beans and fry lightly.
9. Add chopped garlic and lightly fry for a while.
10. Lightly season with salt and smoked paprika powder, mix well and add the tomato puree right after to prevent the smoked paprika powder from burning.
11. Freeze until the tomato water has evaporated and the frying starts to thicken/caramelize.
12. Add 1.2 liters of water to the paella pan and mark the water line in the paella pan so you know when to add rice.
13. Fill the paella pan up to the handles with water and let it boil until the broth reaches the marked limit.
14. Add the rice, forming a cross on the surface of the pan, and mix the rice evenly on all sides of the paella pan.
15. At the same time, add the saffron liquid, a pinch of salt and mix carefully one last time, after this the paella must not be mixed again.
16. Put the rosemary stems on the surface of the paella and let it boil on high power for the first 10 minutes.
17. Reduce the power to low for the next 7 minutes and again to full for the last minute, so that the bottom of the paella can caramelize and a delicious layer called “socarrat” is created.
18. Take the paella off the heat and let it rest covered with a clean cloth for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe: Jani Paasikoski