Valencian black rice

How to make Valencian black rice or arròs negre. 

This rice recipe is one of many that you can find in our country.

The surname “Valencian” we give it for the fact of being prepared in paella or, failing that, low casserole and for being a dry rice, that is, it does not have any broth after cooking.

It happens with most traditional recipes, with a base, in each house it is usually prepared in one way. On the blog you will find other recipes with rice, from a baked rice , my favorite rice recipe to banda , the seafood noodle , rice with chicken and rabbit  to a broth rice .

Dried rice is prepared using twice as much liquid as rice, by volume. To calculate it well we place the rice in a measuring cup and mark its volume.

Then we only have to fill the glass with the liquid (in this case fish broth or fumet ) until the mark is reached, repeat the operation to obtain double and that’s it!

This Valencian black rice has guaranteed success among those who are fond of squid in its ink, which we serve at home with white rice . In our recipe we have used cuttlefish instead of squid, but you can also use the latter or even squid or chopitos.

Our recommendation is that you do it at home, something that does not take more than 30 minutes. If you keep the fish bones when you go to the fish shop and the heads, skins of prawns and prawns you will get a tasty fish broth and, therefore, a Valencian black rice with yummy.

The secret of a good black rice is to use fresh quality ingredients, bomba rice (in this case SOS bomba reserva rice ) and, above all, in a good broth that gives it a lot of flavor.

Preparation of the base of black rice

1. We wash the cuttlefish well (baby squid would also be worth it) and, with the help of a sharp knife, remove the thin membrane that covers it. We cut it into strips 1 centimeter thick and then cut each strip into cubes.
2. If the cuttlefish brings ink, we reserve it. But you can buy some squid ink bags that you will find in the fish shop or in the frozen food section.
3. We heat the fish broth . If we use squid ink in a package, we dilute it in the fish broth.
4. Heat a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a paella pan and, over very high heat, sauté the cuttlefish for a couple of minutes while stirring. Be careful because it jumps a lot and you can get burned. The cuttlefish has to be made enough so that it is sealed on the outside without getting golden. We withdraw and reserve.
5. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them finely. In the same paella or casserole, fry the minced garlic, taking care that it does not brown so that the whole does not become bitter.
6. Grate the large tomato with a grater, cutting it in half and discarding its skin.
7. When the garlic is poached, add the grated tomato and fry again for another five minutes, before incorporating the cuttlefish. We check the oil level and, if we see it necessary, add a little more. We remove so that all the ingredients and that the flavors are integrated.

Preparation of black rice and final presentation

1. Next we add the saffron threads, the sweet Vera paprika and the rice. We remove again, putting all the ingredients together.
2. We fry a couple of minutes before adding the fish stock and squid ink. We raise the fire, test the point of salt and if necessary rectify. Bring the broth to a boil.
3. We count four minutes from the moment the boil starts before lowering the heat to medium-low and letting the rice finish cooking for approximately 14-15 minutes.
4. We taste some rice grains to verify the cooking point and flavor.
5. Once the rice is ready, remove the paella or casserole from the heat, cover it with absorbent paper and let it rest for five minutes before serving.
6. We can accompany it with a few pieces of lemon, seasoned with all i oli or salmorreta  or serve as is. Either way, it will be yummy.

Follow the step by step that you will find in the album of this recipe for black rice , it will come out the first time.

If you need to increase the amount of ingredients, you will also have to increase the size of the paella or casserole. The appropriate measures are:

• 2-3 people- Paella of 30 cm.
• 4-5 people- Paella 40 cm.
• 6-8 people- Paella of 50 cm.
• For 10 people- 55 cm paella.
• For 12 people- 60 cm Paella.

Tips for a yummy black rice

• This black rice is based on the traditional recipe of the Valencian rice bible, “The book of Paella and rice” by Lourdes March (Editorial Alliance) and the advice of my Valencian friends.
• Also, as is logical from the experience of making this type of rice many times that we like so much at home.
• The fees mark using 100 g of rice per diner. Although you already know that the rules are made to be broken so we have reduced the amount a bit. Still, we’ve had leftover black rice to satisfy 4 hungry mouths as a single dish.
• In order for our rice to come out at its point, loose and without weighing it down, the ingredients, with the stock already incorporated, must not exceed the rivets of the handles (in case of using paella) or two centimeters high (in case of using casserole) ). Ideally, the rice should be well spread on the surface of the container.
• It is essential to let the rice rest for the last 5 minutes. Don’t skip this step because the difference is noticeable.
• The cooking time of the rice depends on the place where we prepare it. The atmospheric pressure influences this point so that, although we indicate a cooking time in the recipe. It is important to adjust it to each person’s circumstances.
• The diameter of the fire must be the same as that of the container. If we do not have a kitchen that allows us. We can cook the rice on the fire for the first 8 minutes. Then we finish it in the oven at 200º C, with heat up and down, for the remaining 8 minutes.