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I’ve been craving a good paella for a while now…
It {Paella} used to be my go-to dish when entertaining – it requires minimum effort and gives you maximum taste and satisfaction.
It’s one of those really social dishes – my favourite kind – where you simply place a heaving bowl of it in the middle of the table and everyone can just tuck in and help themselves.
As the night progresses and the wine flows, you can still pick little bites to your heart’s content…
It just never occurred to me to make a low carb paella – it’s simply been one of the dishes that I’ve written off…
And then, it hit me – like duh – just make it low carb!
So, here’s my super easy recipe for a superb low carb paella – and nobody won’t even miss the rice!
[recipe title=”Low Carb Paella” servings=”8-10″ time=”1hr” difficulty=”easy”]
You will need:
8 chicken pieces {I used legs and thighs}
800 g peeled prawn meat
1 whole piece of chorizo sausage {approx 300 g}
400 g cauliflower ‘rice’ {you can buy it already in rice form, or simply chop up a large head of cauliflower in a food processor, or you can grate it using a normal grater}
1 onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 red chili, sliced open {if your chorizo is quite spicy and you prefer a milder paella, just leave out the chili}
1 cup chicken stock
1 large pinch of saffron threads, soaked in the chicken stock
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
Smoked Spanish paprika
Peppadew spice
You can prepare and chop everything in advance and cook it while enjoying some wine with your friends!
I used a large flat wok on a ‘man oven‘ outside – you can do the same, or just use your normal hob.
Start by melting the butter and add the olive oil – then saute the onions.
Once the onions are soft and your wok is nice and hot, add the cauli rice and stir fry for a few minutes until it becomes a golden brown. Don’t let it start to boil and get mushy.
Remove the rice from the wok and set it aside to add back in later.
{This is where this recipe is different from a traditional paella, where you’d add the rice in last and let it cook in the juices. We don’t want the cauli rice to become soggy.}
Add another glug of olive oil and the chicken pieces, sprinkled with paprika and peppadew spice.
Let them cook for about 15 minutes, turning to ensure they’re golden brown all over.
Add the sliced chorizo and stir so that all the flavours can mingle.
Add the red pepper and stir-fry everything for a few minutes.
Add the stock and saffron, cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the prawns and cook until they’re just done – this should take about 5-10 minutes.
Add the cauli rice and heat through.
Voila – serve with a crisp, dry rose – or better yet, rose sparkling wine.
[/recipe]
Now that I’ve re-discovered my beautiful paella, it will definitely feature a lot at dinner parties!
Enjoy! X
