Arroz Valenciana

As people from various parts of the world came to the Philippines in the past, they also brought with them distinct recipes. And once Filipinos learned how to make these, we also reinvented these dishes to create our own renditions suiting local taste better. One example of that is Arroz Valenciana, which from the name, itself, may already tell you that it has Spanish origins.

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By: Vanjo Merano 40 Comments Updated: 9/3/24

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This is a truly delicious glutinous rice dish that is filled with color and flavor. That is because it has chorizo, eggs, raisins, green peas, and the list goes on. This recipe, right here, tastes and looks much like a celebration. But first, let’s look into how this was made in the first place.

How to Make Arroz Valenciana

Preparing the rice

Go ahead, and put your ½ cup of glutinous rice, and 1 cup of Jasmine rice in one container. Wash the rice with water twice, and then drain this. Set the rice aside for now.

Sautéing garlic, onion and tomato

Pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a paellera or a wide pan. Then apply heat. When your oil gets hot, you can add 3 cloves of garlic you’ve crushed, 1 yellow onion you’ve diced, and 1 tomato you’ve diced. Sauté these until your onion and tomato soften.

Cooking the meat

We can now get our ½ lb. of chicken thigh we’ve sliced up! Place this inside the pan, and let it cook for a good 3 minutes. Afterwards, put 3 chorizo de bilbao you’ve sliced diagonally inside as well. Cook this up for 2 minutes.

Seasoning the dish

For a truly flavorful Arroz Valenciana, we have to add some salt and pepper to taste, as well as a pinch of Spanish saffron, alongside 1 teaspoon of paprika. Stir all of this together. We will also pour 2 cups of chicken broth, and 1 cup of coconut milk inside the pan. Once again, stir everything, and wait for the mixture to boil.

Adding the rice

When it is boiling, you can put your washed rice from earlier inside. Then just stir this into the mix, and let the mixture boil again. We will now place 2 tablespoons of tomato paste inside, and stir. Put your cover on top, and just simmer for 5 minutes.

Incorporating some more ingredients

We’re close to the finish line! Just add ½ cup of raisins, as well as ½ cup of green peas. Cover the paellera, and let this simmer for 8 minutes. Then add 1 red bell pepper you’ve cut up into strips. Keep simmering until all of your rice gets cooked.

Adding garnish

For this step, you will just need to spread out your 3 boiled eggs you’ve sliced. And then you can serve your lovely Arroz Valenciana!

History of Arroz Valenciana

As I mentioned earlier, Arroz Valenciana was one of many recipes borne out of Spanish colonialism. Spaniards carried over both ingredients and cooking techniques, and among them was sautéing garlic and onions. And one of the dishes that involves this is Paella, which is another rice dish with a mix of vegetables.

We soon made a Filipino rendition of paella, which is Arroz Valenciana. This is a recipe made with rice, sautéed veggies, and meat or seafood, or all of the above! For my recipe though, we will utilize chicken thigh and chorizo de bilbao for meat. The latter helps add some sweetness and flavor to the dish.

What to Serve with Arroz Valenciana

Vanjo Merano

Vanjo Merano is the creator of PanlasangPinoy.com. His goal is to introduce Filipino Food and Filipino Cuisine to the rest of the world. This blog was the first step that he took.