Arroz a la Valenciana

Filipinos love rice. My husband still marvels at the mounds of white rice consumed every time the family gets together for a meal. There really is nothing more filling and satisfying than steamed white rice with a sauced meat dish and some patis on the side.

Apart from the daily steamed staple, rice is also enjoyed in various conconctions, whether it be savoury or sweet. One of my favourite rice dishes is Arroz a la Valenciana or Valenciana, for short. There are also various Latin American versions of this Spanish dish of rice, meat, a tomato base and vegetables but the Filipino interpretation is very much Asian-style with the use of sticky rice, coconut milk and fish sauce.

Valenciana is a dish usuallly made for fiestas in the Philippines- it is truly a special occassion dish, being colourful, rich and very filling. I made this for New Year's Day dinner. I actually hesitated trying to make this as my childhood memories of Valencianas were of perfect creations. Chewy sticky rice, tender meat redolent of rich tomatoes and bay leaves. Those were either made by a great aunt (who used to cook for rich families in Manila) or my late grandfather. Having made this now, the process, I feel is not that complicated but I still have to make this a few times before I get the consistency exactly right. Valencianas are supposed to be crusty on the sides (I remember aunts fighting over the tutong, the blackened, crunchy overcooked bits) and beautifully chewy but moist in the middle.

To further get a Filipino flavour, I searched for banana leaves to line the pots with. The authentic process involves cooking the rice in broth and coconut milk in one pot, stirring until the liquid is absorbed (as in making risotto) and then finishing off the cooking in the pot lined with banana leaves. The fragrance as the rice was steaming in the leaves was beautiful. I also experimented with wrapping individual serves, finished off in the oven instead of the stove top. This is an easier option and the parcels are easier to transport as baon for picnics and can even be thrown on a barbecue for re-heating.

The end result was quite tasty but the rice turned out too soft. I gave in to the temptation to add more water than what was required after seeing that the rice was already quite sticky but still raw in the middle. I did not realise that there was more than enough moisture in the banana leaves to cook the grains to perfection. I have noted this for next time.




I am sharing this at the Lasang Pinoy December edition. The theme being 'Rice to the Challenge', I'm sure Filipino food bloggers worldwide would be in their element. Be sure to check out the round-up by JMom from Cooked from the Heart.






Filipino Style 'Arroz a la Valenciana'
serves 12

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 c sliced chorizo
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped finely
3 medium very ripe tomatoes, chopped finely
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
6 bay leaves
1.5 kg chicken pieces
2 Tbsp fish sauce
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
2.5 c sticky rice (soaked in water for a couple of hours)
1x400g can coconut milk
1c chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 large red pepper, sliced
1 c green peas
boiled egg for garnish (optional)
Banana leaves


Line a pot or deep pan with banana leaves and set aside

Heat oil in a pot and fry the chorizo until brown. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
In the same oil, sautée garlic and onion until browned slightly. Add the chopped tomatoes paprika and bay leaves. Mix around and simmer with the lid on until you get a thick sauce, around 5 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and fish sauce. Mix around until the chicken pieces are slightly cooked. Add the potato, stir and cover to simmer for around 10 minutes.

Drain the sticky rice and add into the pot. Stir until the grains are well coated in the sauce. Add the coconut milk and stock.
On medium heat, keep on stirring until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, approximately 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked chorizo, red pepper and peas then transfer the mix into the banana leaf-lined pot. Further cook on low heat for 30-40minutes until the rice is cooked and very sticky.

If making individual serves, spoon some of the rice onto banana leaves, wrap then tie with twine. Place in a baking tray and cook in a 150deg C oven for 30 minutes.

To serve, garnish with sliced boiled eggs.

Wild Rice and Broad Bean Salad

Two rice dish posts back to back. This after I made a pact with the husband to go low-carb for a little while to get rid of the love handles that have made our respective midriffs their home over winter. Well, it is Spring and spring being the time for new beginnings is not unlike New Year- sometimes a time for failed resolutions.
To redeem myself somewhat, I try and enjoy my carb quota in the form of healthy(ish), light(ish) salads. This simple salad is defined by two beautiful things- wild rice and broad (fava) beans. I have never prepared a dish using fresh broad beans before. I've always used tinned beans which have always gone in soups. However, Haalo's informative and very well-photographed entry to Weekend Herb Blogging a couple of weeks ago inspired me to make my acquaintance with these underrated gems in a pod. Check out her blog Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once for practical tips on preparing broad beans and her delectable bruschetta recipe.
As for wild rice, I have always loved it. Used in salads, stuffing or just mixed with plain rice as a side dish, it always makes a statement in a subtle way. It has a nuttiness that complements most ingredients without upstaging them, the firm texture it presents is usually a nice surprise. Wild rice (Zizania palustris L) is not technically classified as rice, although it has been used as grain food since prehistoric times. Wild rice is native to North America and has long been a staple for Native Americans not only as a food item but also as a feature in spiritual ceremonies.
No special methods are required to prepare this grain, cook as you would ordinary white rice. In my dishes, I usually use a proportion of 3 parts white rice, 1 part wild rice and then pop the mix in the rice cooker with water equal the total amount of the combined rice. I do like the wild rice quite firm to the bite as it tastes nuttier that way.

To prepare this salad:

3/4 c white rice
1/4 c wild rice
1 c prepared broad beans
rind from 1 orange
1/4c chopped mint

For the dressing:
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp minced garlic
2Tbsp orange juice
2Tbsp Lemon juice
salt and pepper


If using a rice cooker, cook the combined white rice and wild rice in 1 c of water. Alternatively, the combined rice can be cooked pot with 1 c of water. Bring to a rapid boil. Then turn the heat down to low and simmer until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff up the rice with a fork soon after cooking and let cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by mixing together the oil, garlic and juices.

In a bowl, mix the cooked rice, broad beans, mint and orange rind in a bowl. Pour the dressing in, add some salt and pepper and gently toss. Let sit for about an hour to let the flavours infuse.

This is lovely served with barbecued lamb cutlets.

This is my first entry to Weekend Herb Blogging. Being new to blogging, this is one of the first events I discovered which seem to always have a fabulous line-up. Founded by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen , the weekly offering is always informative and full of delicious dishes. I hope my contribution is up to scratch :-) Check out the rest of the dishes at Monday's round-up in Katerina's Daily Unadventures in Cooking.

'Cheat's' Saffron Risotto with Chorizo

Yep, it's still cold out there. The calendar says September but the body can't be fooled. It IS craving carbs. Risotto for me is an instinctive choice when hit with such a craving. It can be such a young-family-friendly dish (our little girl LOVES rice), which is always a plus. More often than not, though, I am put off by the ladling and stirring involved as espoused by classic recipes. Don't get me wrong. I am all for the slow lovemaking and caressing of ingredients to produce quality and great tasting fare. These days though, multi-tasking rules my life and cooking for sheer pleasure simply can not come first when my kids are around.

The idea to cook risotto using the absorption method then came up out of necessity. I have been cooking rice with this method ever since I was 8 years old, no fancy rice steamers for this one until recently. So I thought why not try it with risotto. Hmm, I could almost hear the collective gasp of horror. Risotto? No stirring? Oh dear...
To be honest though, my plebeian palate could not detect any difference in this risotto's consistency compared to any other I've had in my life- nothing in terms of creaminess. The rice grains were separate and al-dente. It was good. But as I said- plebeian palate. So what do I know?If you'd like to try it yourself anyway, here's how I did it.


3Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp saffron, soaked in 1Tbsp hot water
1 1/2c arborio rice
4 c chicken stock
25g butter, chopped into cubes
1/2 c grated parmesan
1 c baby spinach leaves
freshly cracked black pepper

300g chorizo, sliced on the diagonal

*i did not use wine in this recipe*

Heat olive oil in a pot and cook the garlic and onion. Fry until translucent then add the saffron (with the water).
Add the rice and stir until grains are well-coated in oil. Pour in the stock and cook on high until it reaches a rapid boil. Stir to make sure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.Turn the heat to low and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar to let the steam out. Leave to simmer until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed

Meanwhile, fry the chorizos until browned and keep warm while waiting for the risotto to cook.

Back to the risotto...Turn the heat off after around 15minutes. There will still be a thin film of stock. This is ok as it will get absorbed upon stirring. Add the butter and cheese and stir until both have melted. Then add the spinach leaves and stir until just wilted.

Top with the chorizos and sprinkle with black pepper.

I like to serve this with a wedge of lemon. The juice helps to cut through the richness and spiciness of the chorizo.

There you go...
In the 15 minutes that the risotto was cooking, I was able to play another game of 'Snap' with L and sing a couple of nursery rhymes with baby A. That's priceless.