Spanish Paella (A Rice Dish Cooked With Prawns, Chicken & Sausages)

          Paella is a signature dish of Spain. It is rice cooked with prawns, sausages and chicken or any sea food. It is gently simmered in low flame in chicken / fish stock and flavored with saffron. It is served, garnished with tomatoes, bell pepper and lime wedges.

          It is a very delicious and a healthy one pot meal. There are many versions to this dish and can be cooked in various ways like seafood Paella or mixed paella. A special kind of rice called Arborio rice is used to cook Paella, but in the absence of it I used short grain rice.

• 1 cup Arborio rice / any short grain rice
• 1 cup boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup medium size prawns 
• 1/2 cup sausages, sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• salt to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. garlic, grated
• 1/4 tsp. saffron
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes
• 2 & 1/2  cups chicken stock / fish stock or as required
• chopped parsley to garnish
• chopped tomatoes to garnish
• lime wedges to garnish

          Heat 1 tsp. oil in a non stick pan and sauté the chicken cubes till light brown. Keep aside. Heat 1 tsp. more oil and fry the prawns and sauté till it changes colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Heat 1 tsp. oil and sauté the sausages till light brown in colour. keep aside. Heat the remaining oil and sauté the onion and garlic till translucent.

          Now add the rice and bay leaves and sauté for 2 minutes till the rice turns translucent. Add the stock, saffron, salt, chili flakes, half of the fried chicken, prawns and sausages. Simmer on low flame till the rice is cooked. Add more stock / water if required.

          When done, arrange the prawns, peas, chicken, sausages and the bell peppers over the rice and keep it covered for 15 minutes. Serve, garnished with chopped parsley, tomatoes and lime wedges.