Plate 09 of 10

Arroz a la Valenciana

Name: Arroz a la Valenciana
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 8 to 10 feast portions
Cuisine: Nicaragua
Ingredients: 600 g Bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, poached and shredded into thick ribbons; 400 g Boneless pork shoulder, cut into small 1.5 cm cubes and browned; 250 g Nicaraguan salchichón, or cooked smoked sausage, sliced into 5 mm coins; 600 g Parboiled long-grain white rice, rinsed until the water runs clear; 1 L Rich chicken bone broth, hot; 100 g Unsalted European butter, 82% butterfat; 30 ml Achiote oil; 2 large Yellow onions, cut into fine 4 mm brunoise; 6 cloves Fresh garlic, minced to a paste; 2 large Sweet green chiltoma peppers, seeded and finely diced; 1 large Red bell pepper, cored and finely diced; 4 large Ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and puréed smooth; 60 g Double-concentrated tomato paste; 45 ml Worcestershire sauce (salsa inglesa); 15 g Fine sea salt; 3 g Freshly ground black pepper; 150 g Sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen; 150 g Sweet green peas, fresh or frozen; 150 g Carrots, peeled and cut into 4 mm dice; 80 g Pitted green Manzanilla olives, sliced into rings; 30 g Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped fine

Nothing like Spanish paella — where that is dry, crusty and saffroned, this is moist, buttery and rich. Three meats are cooked separately and folded in with the broth so none of them overcook, and parboiled rice is sealed in foaming butter so it drinks a litre of stock without bursting into starch.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 45 min
Serves: 8 to 10 feast portions
Difficulty: Medium

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A dark bowl of golden-yellow rice studded with sliced red sausage, shredded chicken, green olives, peas, diced carrot and red pepper, on a wooden table.

Arroz a la Valenciana is the festive soul of Nicaraguan celebration. At birthdays, quinceañeras and weddings, a giant golden caldero always anchors the table.

Unlike Spanish paella, which is dry and crusty with saffron, the Nicaraguan version is moist, buttery and rich. It combines shredded chicken, tender pork cubes and sliced salchichón, with rice cooked in sweet onion, green chiltoma, garlic and red pepper, bathed in butter, tomato paste, Worcestershire and chicken broth.

Folded with sweet corn, carrot, peas and green olives, it is traditionally served with potato crisps, white bread and refried beans.

Ingredients

The meats
600 gBone-in chicken thighs or breasts, poached and shredded into thick ribbons
400 gBoneless pork shoulder, cut into small 1.5 cm cubes and browned
250 gNicaraguan salchichón, or cooked smoked sausage, sliced into 5 mm coins
The rice
600 gParboiled long-grain white rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
1 LRich chicken bone broth, hot
100 gUnsalted European butter, 82% butterfat60 g into the sofrito, 40 g dotted over before the steam
The sofrito
30 mlAchiote oil
2 largeYellow onions, cut into fine 4 mm brunoise
6 clovesFresh garlic, minced to a paste
2 largeSweet green chiltoma peppers, seeded and finely diced
1 largeRed bell pepper, cored and finely diced
4 largeRipe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and puréed smooth
60 gDouble-concentrated tomato paste
45 mlWorcestershire sauce (salsa inglesa)
15 gFine sea salt
3 gFreshly ground black pepper
The vegetables
150 gSweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen
150 gSweet green peas, fresh or frozen
150 gCarrots, peeled and cut into 4 mm dice
80 gPitted green Manzanilla olives, sliced into rings
To finish
30 gFresh parsley or cilantro, chopped fine

Parboiled rice, sealed in butter

Parboiled grain absorbs a litre of stock without bursting. Three minutes in foaming butter and achiote oil at about 150 °C wraps each grain in a hydrophobic barrier before any liquid arrives.

Cook the meats separately

Chicken poached, pork browned, sausage seared — each to its own doneness, then folded in with the broth. Cooked together in the pot, the chicken would be dry long before the pork was ready.

1.7 parts broth to 1 part rice

One litre of hot stock to 600 g of rice. The butter then emulsifies into the tomato juices, which is what makes this moist and glistening rather than dry.

Never short-grain

Short-grain rice sheds far too much starch and the festive pot turns to glue.

Peas and olives go in late

Added at the start they turn grey and dull. They join with the meats before the steam.

Do not stir while steaming

Stirring breaks the grains and releases starch. Twenty minutes with the lid down and nothing else.

Passive time, counted separately

The finished pot rests covered 5 minutes off the heat. That sits outside the times quoted above.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is sea salt, seasoned broth, Worcestershire and cured olives. Fat is generous butter, pork drippings and achiote oil on every grain. Acid is puréed tomato, tomato paste and the tamarind in the Worcestershire. Heat is garlic, sweet chiltoma, black pepper and the sausage spicing. Umami is chicken, browned pork fond, cured sausage and reduced stock.

Equipment

Pot, for poaching the chicken
Skillet, for the pork and sausage
8 to 10 qt enamelled Dutch oven with a heavy lid
Large fork, for fluffing

Traditionally a large aluminium caldero over gas burners. An 8-to-10 quart enamelled Dutch oven works in a modern kitchen — the heavy lid is what traps steam evenly so the rim cooks at the same rate as the centre.

Method

Cook the meats30 min
Poach the chicken in 1.2 L salted water with half an onion and garlic 20 minutes to 74 °C, then shred into ribbons and keep the broth.
Brown the pork cubes in a skillet 6 minutes until golden, and give the sausage coins 2 minutes. Set the meats aside.
Poach chicken in 1.2 L salted water with half an onion and garlic for 20 minutes, reaching 74 °C. Shred and reserve broth. Separately brown pork cubes 6 minutes until golden and sear sausage coins 2 minutes; set aside.
Sofrito in butter12 min
Melt 60 g butter with the achiote oil over medium and sauté the onion, chiltoma, red pepper and garlic 6 to 8 minutes until soft.
Stir in the tomato paste, puréed tomato, Worcestershire, black pepper and 1 Tbsp salt and cook 4 minutes into a glossy red sauce.
Melt 60 g butter with achiote oil over medium. Soften onion, chiltoma, red pepper and garlic 6–8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, puréed tomato, Worcestershire, black pepper and 1 Tbsp salt; cook 4 minutes until glossy.
Toast the rice3 min
Add the rinsed parboiled rice and stir constantly 3 minutes, coating every grain in the red butter sofrito until it smells nutty.
Add rinsed parboiled rice to the red butter sofrito, around 150 °C. Stir constantly for 3 minutes until every grain is coated and smells nutty; do not substitute short-grain rice.
Stock and vegetables8 min
Pour in 1 litre of hot broth and add the carrot, corn and peas.
Bring to a rolling boil and boil uncovered 6 to 8 minutes until the liquid drops level with the rice and steam craters appear.
Pour in 1 litre hot broth; add carrot, corn and peas. Boil uncovered 6–8 minutes until liquid is level with the rice and steam craters appear.
Fold in the meats and steam20 min
Scatter the shredded chicken, pork cubes, sausage coins and olives across the top, and dot the remaining 40 g of butter over the surface.
Lowest heat, lid on tight, steam undisturbed 20 minutes. Do not lift it.
Scatter chicken, pork, sausage and olives over the rice; dot with the remaining 40 g butter. Cover tightly, reduce to the lowest heat and steam 20 minutes without stirring or lifting the lid.
Fluff and rest
Scatter the parsley over, fold and fluff from the bottom up with a large fork so the meats and vegetables distribute evenly, and rest covered 5 minutes.
Add parsley and gently fold from the bottom upward with a large fork to distribute meats and vegetables. Remove from heat and rest covered 5 minutes.
07
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: glossy golden-orange rice packed with white chicken, brown pork, pink sausage coins, green peas, red pepper and olives.
- Auditory: a gentle crackle at the pot floor as the steam finishes, and grains falling loose from a lifted spoon.
- Olfactory: browned butter, sweet chiltoma, roasted chicken, sausage spice and sweet tomato.
Look for glossy golden-orange rice with separate grains and colourful meats and vegetables. A gentle crackle should mark the end of steaming; the aroma should combine browned butter, sweet pepper, chicken, sausage and tomato.

Storing it

It holds heat exceptionally well in a covered casserole, and tastes better the next day as the butter and spices settle.

Troubleshooting

Sticky, glued rice.: Short-grain rice was used. It has to be long-grain parboiled.
Grey, dull peas and olives.: They went in at the beginning. Add them with the meats before the steam.
A soggy, broken pot.: The rice was stirred while steaming. Lid down for the full 20 minutes.

Substitutions

One-to-one global substitutions, with the technique adjustment each one requires.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Parboiled rice	Long-grain white rice	Reduce the broth by 150 ml; parboiled gives the least sticky grains
Salchichón	Smoked kielbasa, frankfurters, or Vienna sausages	One-to-one, sliced into 5 mm coins
Achiote oil	Neutral oil infused with 1 Tbsp sweet paprika	One-to-one for the golden colour

Scaling

Half, for 4 to 5 portions

Halve everything in a 5-quart pot. The steam stays 20 minutes.

Double, for 20 portions

Double everything in a 16-to-20 quart stockpot over a wide flame spreader.

What to serve it with

Salted potato crisps — the classic Nicaraguan party pairing
Soft white sandwich bread
Silky refried red beans
A cold Toña, or Flor de Caña 12 with cola and lime

Questions

Why "a la Valenciana" if it is not paella?

Spanish settlers brought the Valencian rice idea, and Nicaraguan cooks rebuilt it with butter, pork, Latin sausage and local vegetables into something quite distinct.

Can it be made ahead?

Yes — it holds heat well in a covered casserole and is arguably better the next day.

Which sausage?

Nicaraguan salchichón is traditional; smoked kielbasa, good frankfurters or cooked chorizo all substitute well.