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Kitchen Hack: Recipe to Cook Easy Arroz a la Valenciana

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Do you like Valenciana, that savory sticky yellow rice often prepared during fiestas, but find it too hard to cook? I have found a way to cook easy Arroz a la Valenciana so I am sharing the recipe and procedure with you. Read more on how I do it.

Valenciana: A Filipino Favorite

For as long as I can remember, Arroz a la Valenciana is a staple in many family gatherings and fiestas. It is actually of Spanish influence, hence the name, but Filipinos enjoy this so much. We love this complete savory rice meal that’s laden with different meats and colored dark yellow with turmeric.

Not only is this dish flavorful, but I also like the fact that it has turmeric that has so many health benefits.

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~ Who doesn’t like this? Perhaps all Pinoys would list Valenciana as one of their top favorite dishes. ~

In the past, I used to just wait for my mother to cook Valenciana because it’s her specialty. But since I now have my own family, I had to learn to re-create my favorite dish in my own home.

But, of course, I want to do it the easy way because I am rather lazy and segurista. I make sure that the rice is cooked thoroughly and be as flavorful as possible. I am the queen of kitchen hacks and shortcuts, which I guess happened because I am a lazy cook who wants to make restaurant-style dishes for the family.

How to Make Easy Arroz a la Valenciana

Traditionally, Arroz a ala Valenciana starts with sauteeing all the ingredients and adding enough water to cook the rice well. There’s a lot of room for error, especially for newbie homecooks. And I don’t want to waste a whole batch of glutinous rice and meats just like that.

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~ I like using different meats in order to give the Valenciana a rich flavor. One thing we don’t use for this rice recipe is beef. It doesn’t seem to go well with the flavors we are after. ~

That is the reason why I came up with this hack. Chefs may not agree with me, but I am a homecook and my desire is to make good meals for my family. So this is enough for us.

Do you want to do this, too?

So now, of course, I will share with your how to make easy Arroz a la Valenciana that is flavorful and cooked well. There’s no room for error anymore. Haha Unless, of course, you are cooking while chatting on messenger or talking on the phone and your focus is off.

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~ I usually cook with the Kwong Bee Chorizo de Bilbao. But since I couldn’t get hold of some, I substituted with the Virginia Pork Canton Sausage. Worked just fine. ~

Just follow instructions and you will get perfectly cooked Valenciana that will amaze the family, even if you are not naturally-inclined in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

  • 10 cups glutinous rice (malagkit)
  • 2 Tbsps. turmeric powder + 2 tsps. Salt
  • Garlic, minced (I used 1 head)
  • Cooking oil
  • 2 pcs. Chorizo de Bilbao or Mandarin or Canton Chorizo, sliced diagonally
  • 2 chicken cubes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Chicken, preferably with skin and bones, sliced into small pieces
  • Pork with fat, sliced into small cubes
  • Chicken gizzard, sliced
  • Chicken liver, sliced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsps. fish sauce (patis)
  • 1 can green peas, drained
  • Red bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • Chives or green onions, sliced
  • Raisins (optional)
  • Boiled eggs, sliced, for toppings

Optional seasoning: Garlic Powder. Since I like the flavor and aroma of garlic, I added the McCormick garlic powder.

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~ Since I like garlic, I supplemented with a sachet of McCormick garlic powder. ~

Procedure:

Please have all the ingredients ready. I did not specify how much meats to use because you can add more if you want. But on the average, about ¼ kilo for each kind should suffice.

Now that you have all the ingredients ready, I will teach you the kitchen hack to make this easy Arroz a la Valenciana perfect.

Kitchen Hack
Wash the glutinous rice three times, just like you would ordinary rice. Place it in the rice cooker with enough water to cook. Stir in the turmeric powder and salt, making sure that it is mixed well. Since the glutinous rice is heavier than regular white rice, you might need a little bit of water so that it will be cooked thoroughly. If the rice is not so soft yet, that’s okay because it can still be cooked with the meat sauce.

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~ To ensure that my rice is cooked well, I cook it first in the rice cooker and just mix it with the meat sauce afterwards. ~

Putting the Valenciana Together

  • Put a little oil in the pan and lightly fry the chorizo slices until you can smell the aroma. Remove from the pan.
  • Add a little more oil and saute the garlic and onions for about a minute.
  • Stir-fry the chicken slices first and cook it for several minutes. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper.
  • Add the pork and the chicken cubes. Cook for several minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the meats are cooked through.
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~ To boost the flavors of my Valenciana, I used 2 chicken cubes. ~
  • Stir in the gizzard and cook for several minutes before adding the liver. Stir-fry for about a minute more. Do not overcook the liver or it will toughen.
  • Pour in about 2-3 cups of hot water. Add the bell pepper and most of the green onions and raisins. Return the fried chorizo into the pan. Season with the fish sauce, mix well, and then bring to a boil. Taste the mixture. It should be a wee bit saltier than normal because you still have to mix it with the rice.
  • When you are happy with the flavor, start mixing in the rice. Do not dump everything altogether. Instead, place about 2 cups at a time and use a wooden spoon so separate the rice so that the sauce can seep in.
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~ Mix the rice into the sauce a few scoops or cups at a time. ~
  • When you have finished adding the rice, mix well, and flatten it a bit. Simmer over low heat. Some people like the browned parts at the bottom because it’s crispy.
  • Let it cool a bit and transfer to a serving plate and top with slices of boiled egg.

Note: I used my homemade salted eggs for toppings.

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~ My homemade salted eggs. It was perfect with the Valenciana because it’s not very salty, unlike its store-bought counterparts. Will share the recipe next. ~

Make This at Home

Now, you can enjoy easy Arroz a la Valenciana at home any time you get a hankering for it. You get the same effect without the suspense if you did it right. Plus, you can be more flexible with your meats and splurge a bit on the chorizo.

Hope you can share your experience cooking Valenciana at home by leaving a comment below.

If there is a difference from the traditional way of cooking Valenciana, let me know, too.

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~ My easy Arroz a la Valenciana. Who would think that I cooked it the easy way? ~

Other Homecooking Recipes

Meanwhile, below are some other homecooking recipes in this blog.

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