Yet when it comes to preparing a Paella, what many don’t know is that there are actually 3 ways of preparing the rice that will give you totally different experiences, and they are based on the relationship of the rice and the broth.
Index
Dry Rice
The usual and most popular version of Paella and the one that the Paellita method is designed for: grains of rice separated from each other and clear, since the cereal absorbs all the liquid (be it water, sauce in which it has been boiled, etc).
The trick to cooking dry rice is not to stir the cereal while it is cooking, as this way we ensure that the rice does not release the starch it contains and the grain remains loose.
How to Cook it
Normally, to get a dry rice, we have to cook it over the base that is preferred, and add twice as much water as rice in the container in which it is going to be cooked. Finally, the rice is left to rest for 10 to 15 minutes and it is ready to be served.
Creamy Rice
Creamy rice, or “arroz meloso” as we call it in spanish, is characterized by having a more viscous and unctuous texture, with the grains more stuck together.
Creamy rice is very traditional in the Valencian Community and consists of leaving the rice at the exact point between a soupy and dry one. The result must be eaten with a fork, without any broth and with a texture similar to that of risotto, although it has nothing to do with it.
How to Cook it
To achieve it, creamy rice must be cooked for 15-17 minutes and, very importantly, we have to let it rest for five minutes so that it settles correctly.
Soupy Rice
We could consider this type of rice a step further to the creamy rice.
Soupy rice is one that is eaten with a spoon and in which the broth takes on special importance, since it will be eaten at the same time as the grain. In addition, it must be taken into account that the quality and intensity of the broth will be what will give the dish its flavor.
To cook this type of rice, you must use a type of rice that will last the entire cooking without breaking or falling apartand that at the same time absorbs a large amount of liquid. The best type of rice, therefore, will be the Bomba rice.
How to Cook it
During the cooking of it, we have to add the rice and bathe it with 4x measures of broth or base for each one of rice. Finally, we let the rice cook for about 15 minutes and it will be ready to serve.
