Filipinos still have a long way to go in our quest for decolonization; the result of hundreds of years of being taken over by illegal settlers. To this day, so many of our ways of thinking (towards language, beauty, skin color, social class, even identity) need to be liberated from our deeply rooted Western colonization. Our cuisine, on the other hand, is well on the way to being truly celebrated and decolonized. As we were introduced to foreign trade, we learned to adapt. And Filipino food is all about adaptation. We reconciled the old with the new and learned to make something foreign our own.
Paélya is one of those dishes that has been enriched and made Filipino over time. Derived from the traditional Spanish Paella, this dish is a manifestation of how we used available resources amidst the Spanish colonization. We figured out how to make it ours. And paélya is decidedly ours.
There are lots of regional variations of Filipino paélya including Arroz a la Valenciana, Sotanghon Paella (glass noodles in place of rice, similar to Fideo), and Bringhe. So with intersectionality in mind, we’re simply calling this Paélya—the third recipe in our weekly newsletter.
PAÉLYA (Filipino Paella)
(Serves 3-4)
Because this dish can be labor-intensive, it’s usually only prepared and served during fiestas and family gatherings. Depending on what region you’re from, your paélya can consist of the following ingredients: glutinous rice by itself or mixed with other local rice varieties, turmeric, sometimes curry powder, raisins for sweetness, hard-boiled eggs, kasubha, or annatto seeds in place of saffron, coconut milk, lots of vegetables, local chorizo or Chinese sausage, and whatever seafood or protein is accessible at the moment. This recipe, however, consists of all the things I love in a Filipino paélya, including some bright and pickled toppings I enjoy. And that means: NO RAISINS FOR ME, THANK YOU.
SOME TUNES TO COOK TO:
Today is National Heroes’ Day and the last day of Buwan ng Wika so naturally, all-Filipino anthems are in order.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup discarded chicken skin (or more)
Canola or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp annatto seeds (atsuete)
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp curry powder or cumin
1 white onion, chopped
1 whole head of garlic, chopped
1 cup glutinous rice
1/2 cup jasmine rice or any white rice
6 red chilis, chopped
150-200 grams Manila clams or mussels (If you don’t have seafood, use any protein!)
150-200 grams of chicken thighs, cubed
1 1/3 cup chicken stock (or 1 1/3 cup water and chicken bouillon)
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
3-4 pandan leaves
3-4 eggs boiled for 7 minutes, peeled then sliced in half
Salt and pepper to taste
Fish sauce to taste
Calamansi or lemon wedges
PICKLED ONIONS:
2 Red onions sliced thinly
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
black pepper
salt
SALSA VERDE:
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
5 green chilis or jalapeno
chili flakes
1 bunch chopped cilantro
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp lemon juice
lemon zest
sea salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. The first thing you need to do is make some schmaltz or rendered chicken fat. You can use discarded chicken skin trimmings or ask for some from your local butcher. They usually have extra that they can give away for free (or for really cheap). Place all of the chicken skin in a pot over medium-low heat and allow it to release all of the fat until you’re left with crispy chicken skin. Set your chicken skin aside and salt it while hot, we’ll use it as a topping later.
2. Add the annatto seeds into your hot schmaltz and let it steep for 15-20 minutes until you can see a deep amber color. Strain the oil into a bowl and throw away the annatto seeds. You should have about 1/4 cup’s worth of annatto oil. Set aside and save it for later.
The brown bits you see here is the fond from when we rendered the chicken fat! After you transfer the oil and remove the annatto seeds, Deglaze it with a bit of water, scrape it, and put the liquid with all the brown bits after you sautee your aromatics. Remember: Fond is flavor.
3. Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet and sautee the onion and garlic until softened. Add in the chicken and let cook for 5-10 minutes—you’re not looking to cook them all the way through, we’ll add them back into the rice later halfway through cooking. Remove the chicken and set aside.
4. Add in your clams and cover with a lid. You can walk away for a bit to allow all the clams to open and release all of their briny juices. After 15 minutes, take off the lid and you should see that most of it have opened up. If after 5 more minutes you still have a few unopened clams, throw them away—they have been dead prior to cooking and have nothing more to give.
No stock or sodium added at this point. All that liquid came from the clams. Give it a taste—it should be as briny as the ocean.
5. Transfer your clams into a bowl and set aside, making sure you’re leaving all the juices in the pan. At this point, add in half of your chopped tomatoes, turmeric, and cumin powder (or curry powder if you have it), half of the chopped parsley, chilies, and annatto oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Wash your rice 3 times or until the water isn’t as cloudy. Transfer your strained rice onto the skillet and toss until every single grain is coated with the oil and aromatics. Allow it to toast for a bit, then pour in your chicken stock (or water with chicken bouillon) and coconut milk. Stir until well combined. Add your pandan leaves on top or tie it in a knot and submerge, then put on your lid. Walk away for 15-20 minutes or until it comes to a boil, in the meantime let’s work on the toppings.
7. To make your pickled onions, just combine all of the sliced red onion, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Adjust it to your liking—I like mine super pungent and bright so I’m a little generous with the vinegar. If you like it sweeter and a little less vinegary, add more sugar and a bit of water.
For the salsa verde, start by charring your green chilis directly over your burner, or on a dry skillet. The skins should blister and turn deep brown to black. Remove the burnt skin, and chop it finely. Throw in all of the rest of your ingredients: cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and its zest, sea salt, and chili flakes. You can blitz this in a food processor if you want a smoother salsa, but I like mine to still have chunks and flecks of herbs in the sauce so I’m leaving it as it is.
Both of these toppings are NOT traditional, it’s just how I enjoy eating really rich, savory foods. Put both of them in the fridge, they last for a week in a tight container.
8. Check your paélya (be careful with the steam!) and see if the rice has boiled. Stir it once more and add the chicken and remaining chopped parsley and tomatoes. Taste if it needs more seasoning. Add fish sauce if it could take more saltiness, or perhaps more chili, or curry powder. Add lemon juice or calamansi juice, and put back all of the clams on top (including any remaining juices) before turning on the flame to medium-low heat. This time just to allow the chicken and the rest of the grains to cook through, and a golden crust to form at the bottom.
9. After 5-10 more minutes, your paélya should be ready! Serve it with pickled onions, sliced jammy eggs, some of the chicken skin set aside earlier, and salsa verde. Squeeze lemon or calamansi over it generously.
My late great-grandmother would save all the crispy bottoms as a snack for later, she would refry it in some oil and dust it with brown sugar. The result is a savory-sweet chewy rice chip.
FILIPINO CREATIVES DOING GREAT THINGS!
When creatives end up in beach quarantine for most of the lockdown, apparently they start a band and drop a music video. And it’s so, so good.
Stream their music here:
Music by Where's Rinko?
Directed by Cru Camara
Starring Miggy Liggayu
Produced by Jermaine Choa Peck
Cinematography by Susan Larsson and Philip Camara
Edited and Styled by Neal Corpus
Randolf Clothing is some of my favorite local sustainable brands whose body of work intentionally consists of deadstock and scrap fabrics. Protect yourself from COVID and click here to pre-order washable face masks by Randolf. (This White Rabbit design alone caused the website to crash upon launching!)
Beautiful catalog by Filipino artist Nice Buenaventura! Visit her archives for a list of her available work and your overall visual pleasure.
And finally, some good news. Our collective signatures have worked through this petition to hopefully help keep F&B businesses in Makati stay afloat!
The world is never gonna be the same again, but I hope that you all have a roof over your head, and a meal to keep you warm and healthy. If you stick around for a minute, maybe this weekly project can morph into something really special.
- Trisha
thanks for the shoutout trisha! been loving the recipes and showed it to elena. craving your cooking more and more these days. sending this newsletter to my titas because they would totally enjoy this. hope we get to see each other soon!