One of Mumbai's more high profile chefs and restaurateurs, Moshe Shek, travels half way round the globe in search of his favourite Spanish delicacy

When I decided to do a coast to coast trip in Spain, never did I imagine that it would end with me trailing a rice preparation which varied as widely as the terrain it encompassed. But there is a strange twist to this story. When I first started eating this yellowish rice preparation in Barcelona, it did not vary much in flavour and many of the restaurants that catered to the tourists along the La Rambla served pretty much the same stuff. Only when I visited the cafes and restaurants in the interior of the country, did I get to enjoy this dish in its true avatar.
What's very important in preparing this dish is the paella pan and the wide flamed burner used to cook this on. Most restaurants outside of Spain focus a lot on the quantity of fish, meat and sausages that are an integral part of this dish, whereas the Spaniards actually enjoy it for the element of rice. And that's exactly why, in Spain it does not come loaded with protein. The rice traditionally used out there is a short stubby variety called granza, but I've managed to substitute it easily with the Italian short grained variety - Arborio. It surely comes close to the Italian risotto, but the difference is vast. Risotto is creamy and unlike an Indian pulao, it is not 'fluffy'. The rice is gradually cooked and the grains slightly adhere to each other. Use a good quality olive oil, for that's one ingredient that helps keep it moist during its slow cooking period.
You can add pretty much anything to make paella but a traditional one surely includes one or the other of, a variety of shellfish such as clams and mussels, chicken legs and wings, pork sausages and nowadays, some of the restaurants even serve a vegetarian version.
Flavourings are however limited with saffron ruling for flavour and colour. I bought back some saffron from La Mancha and it is undoubtedly one of the best I've ever tasted. Next comes the Spanish smoked paprika. Unlike the Italian spicy version, this is sweet and has a wonderful smoked flavour imparting a lovely colour minus the spice. And finally, some good fish or chicken stock. I personally prefer a good chicken stock as I feel the fish ones are too overpowering.

Once you have all your ingredients lined up all you need is patience in cooking this dish and constant attention. And that is why most paella making is a family affair with all at home surrounding the cooking pan. Another bit of caution when travelling and eating paella in Spain and this is something I learnt the hard way. I was amazed that in some cafes around the country, and I mean from Barcelona to Valencia to Sevilla and right up to Cadiz, the preparation tasted almost identical. I was amazed as to how great these guys were in replicating flavours, when a local café in Cadiz answered my curiosity. The chef came out and showed me an instant packet of paella - where you just had to add water!

The author runs the eponymous Moshe's restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi

Recipe for two
3/4 cup Arborio rice or a good Spanish short grain rice
1 cup rich chicken stock
1/4 tsp Spanish saffron
3/4 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
20 ml olive oil
1 whole chicken leg, on the bone and cut into small pieces
1 small onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
4 to 5 green beans, cut into large lengths and a few green peas
1/2 red capsicum or green pepper would do
6 medium to small mussels
8 medium sized shrimps
60 gm spicy small sausages
Salt and cracked pepper

Method
Heat the olive oil and sear the chicken on high heat till it's brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
Add the chopped onion and garlic to the oil in the pan and sauté briefly. Add in the rice along with the stock, paprika, saffron and seasonings.
When the rice water starts bubbling, add in the chicken, sausages and vegetables, reduce the heat and simmer till half the water has been absorbed. Place the shrimps and mussels on the rice and cover the paella pan with a tight lid and cook on very low heat for about 10 minutes.
Serve with some amount of parsley sprinkled on top along with a wedge of lemon.

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