Does the name Paella come from the pan it's cooked in, or from the romantic phrase Para Ella – "for her"? 🤔
Either way, this dish has become a Spanish culinary icon, bringing together tradition, flavors, and a sense of community.
📖 A Little Story:
A Dutch friend once told me that paella was originally cooked by Valencian sailors as a special meal for their wives after returning from a successful fishing trip. This image lit up my imagination:
🔥 Long rustic tables on the beach, glowing embers, clay jugs of sherry, laughter, dancing, and a toast to Poseidon. You can almost hear the atmosphere…
🥘 How to Make the Perfect Vegan Paella?
I learned from my Basque friend Monica that traditional paella must include onions, garlic, red pepper, and green peas.
🚫 Spices? Almost none. Just garlic, salt, and a pinch of saffron.
🔹 The Secret to Success – The 10-10-10 Rule:
✔ 10 minutes on high heat, uncovered.
✔ 10 minutes on low heat, uncovered.
✔ 10 minutes resting with a kitchen towel over the pan.
🌟 A Personal Twist: I love adding vegan chorizo slices, toasted peanuts for crunch, and even vegan “seafood” like king oyster mushrooms.
🍽️ And the Taste?
I once served this vegan paella to a hardcore meat-eater who proudly claimed he had eaten every possible version of paella in Spain.
After the first bite, he declared:
👉 "This is the best paella I’ve ever had!" 😍
💡 Conclusion? Tradition is great, but a little creativity can turn any dish into a masterpiece!
💛 Enjoy every bite! 😋❣
RECIPE
🥘 Vegan Paella
4-6 portions
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-5 cloves minced garlic feel free to add some more 🙂
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup green peas possible frozen
- 1 medium eggplant diced
- 200 grams mushrooms Champignon, Cremini, Portobello
- 1 cup okra possible frozen, optional
- 2 cups Spanish rice or Risotto rice (do not use sushi rice)
- 100 grams tomato paste
- 4¾ cups boiling water
- pinch saffron soaked in a ¼ of hot water
- 2 teaspoon salt to taste
optional addition
- 2-3 lasagna sheets, broken to 3-4 pieces or any other large pasta- such as Cannelloni
For Serving
- Carved half a lemon, strips of roasted bell pepper, roasted peanuts, stir-fried "chicken" or vegan chorizo slices seared on a griddle pan
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a paella pan (or a large sauté pan), add garlic, and fry for a few seconds until it smells delicious, add onion and fry until golden.
- Add peas and red bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until semi-soft.
- Add the rest of the vegetables. Lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are almost ready.
- Add rice, mix with the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add boiling water, tomato paste, salt, saffron (together with its soaking water), and mix. Taste and add salt if necessary. Add the broken lasagna sheets, press them inside (so they don’t dry out).
- Cook over medium-high heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes; Lower to low heat and cook for another 10 minutes; Remove from heat, cover the pan with a large kitchen towel and control yourself for another 10 minutes 😉
For Serving
- Place a carved lemon in the center of the pan, garnish with strips of roasted bell pepper, stir-fried "chicken" or seared vegan chorizo; For crunchiness, sprinkle some toasted peanuts.
- Don't use basmati or jasmine rice. You will end up with a completely different texture from the traditional dish.
- Thanks to Monica for a recipe that gains compliments from everyone who eats it!
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