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.

Related: Easy to Make Mongolian Rice Bowl Recipe at Home

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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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.

Related: Make Restaurant-Style Spicy Baby Back Ribs at Home

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.