As people from various parts of the world came to the Philippines in the past, they also brought with them distinct recipes. And once Filipinos learned how to make these, we also reinvented these dishes to create our own renditions suiting local taste better. One example of that is Arroz Valenciana, which from the name, itself, may already tell you that it has Spanish origins.
This is a truly delicious glutinous rice dish that is filled with color and flavor. That is because it has chorizo, eggs, raisins, green peas, and the list goes on. This recipe, right here, tastes and looks much like a celebration. But first, let’s look into how this was made in the first place.
History of Arroz Valenciana
As I mentioned earlier, Arroz Valenciana was one of many recipes borne out of Spanish colonialism. Spaniards carried over both ingredients and cooking techniques, and among them was sautéing garlic and onions. And one of the dishes that involves this is Paella, which is another rice dish with a mix of vegetables.
We soon made a Filipino rendition of paella, which is Arroz Valenciana. This is a recipe made with rice, sautéed veggies, and meat or seafood, or all of the above! For my recipe though, we will utilize chicken thigh and chorizo de bilbao for meat. The latter helps add some sweetness and flavor to the dish.
Let’s get started!
How to Make Arroz Valenciana
Go ahead, and put your ½ cup of glutinous rice, and 1 cup of Jasmine rice in one container. Wash the rice with water twice, and then drain this. Set the rice aside for now.
Pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a paellera or a wide pan. Then apply heat. When your oil gets hot, you can add 3 cloves of garlic you’ve crushed, 1 yellow onion you’ve diced, and 1 tomato you’ve diced. Sauté these until your onion and tomato soften.
We can now get our ½ lb. of chicken thigh we’ve sliced up! Place this inside the pan, and let it cook for a good 3 minutes. Afterwards, put 3 chorizo de bilbao you’ve sliced diagonally inside as well. Cook this up for 2 minutes.
For a truly flavorful Arroz Valenciana, we have to add some salt and pepper to taste, as well as a pinch of Spanish saffron, alongside 1 teaspoon of paprika. Stir all of this together. We will also pour 2 cups of chicken broth, and 1 cup of coconut milk inside the pan. Once again, stir everything, and wait for the mixture to boil.
When it is boiling, you can put your washed rice from earlier inside. Then just stir this into the mix, and let the mixture boil again. We will now place 2 tablespoons of tomato paste inside, and stir. Put your cover on top, and just simmer for 5 minutes.
We’re close to the finish line! Just add ½ cup of raisins, as well as ½ cup of green peas. Cover the paellera, and let this simmer for 8 minutes. Then add 1 red bell pepper you’ve cut up into strips. Keep simmering until all of your rice gets cooked.
For this step, you will just need to spread out your 3 boiled eggs you’ve sliced. And then you can serve your lovely Arroz Valenciana!
What to Serve with Arroz Valenciana
Inihaw Na Bangus
As you can see, our main recipe already has everything you will need in a dish from carbs to protein to nutrients from our veggies. But if you are having a gathering, and are hoping to prepare a feast of your own, Inihaw Na Bangus sits nicely with our Arroz Valenciana. Flavor-wise, this has a nice savory quality to it that would taste great with our rice dish.
Chicken Afritada
Since Arroz Valenciana is a dry dish, you may want to try it out alongside a delicious tomato stew. Chicken Afritada is the way to go for this as it has a satisfying mix of ingredients like our main recipe. It similarly has green peas, chicken and garlic for some variety in texture and flavor.
Seaweed Salad
I truly love adding ensalada to my meals because it helps make everything taste more refreshing. This Ensaladang Lato is my recommendation for a side dish to your Arroz Valenciana because for such a simple dish, it holds a ton of flavor and health benefits too! You will need less than 20 minutes to make this, and so it truly is convenient for cooks on a rush.
Want more recipes like this Arroz Valenciana? Check out the rest of the dishes we have here at Panlasang Pinoy by scrolling through the site!
