Paella: A Labour of Love

There was one family reunion when I was still a kid, New Year's day lunch, that I remember so vividly. Lots of laughter and stories. Playing with kids around the house. And more so of this dish that I ate for the first time. It was a sticky and yellow-coloured rice with shrimps and bell pepper and sliced eggs. They called it Arroz Valenciana. I liked it so much that when we went to a Spanish restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, I tried to order their Paella Valenciana thinking it was the same. But upon tasting it I knew it was so different. The very rich flavoured rice, the soccarat or toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, the variety of seafood and the smell of it! Way better tasting, yum! When I got older I found out that Arroz Valenciana is like the low down version of Paella Valenciana. It uses glutinous rice, turmeric to make the yellow hue and sliced eggs as garnish. So if we do eat out at Spanish restaurants I made sure to order the paella valenciana or seafood  paella.