You cannot just use any rice that you find at your supermarket. The important thing to know is which rice is the best substitute. However, if you are looking to use a different type of rice that is not the traditional bomba rice, it does not necessarily mean that your paella is completely ruined.Īlthough bomba rice is the best rice for this dish and will give you that authentic dining experience, there are still other alternatives for you to consider. Paella is one of those dishes that tastes best when it is made with authenticity. The truth is you can use any rice you want, but that will take away from the authenticity of the dish. Luckily for you, you have options! Can You Use Any Rice for Paella? Adding Bomba Rice to Paella
You can also attempt to buy it online just be prepared because it may be twice as expensive. While, yes, it’s hard to find bomba rice outside of Spain, you may be able to find it in a gourmet market or a international grocery store. This is something you wish to avoid when making paella. The unique thing about bomba rice is that it has the ability to absorb as much water as possible without turning your rice into mush. Medium grain is acceptable, but long grain rice is simply out of the question.Īs mentioned in the introduction, bomba rice is the perfect rice for paella.Ĭultivated in Eastern Spain, this short-grained rice is practically made for paella, and solely used for making this dish. It is important that you use short grain rice. The key to the perfect paella is the rice. With various paella renditions being made, this has allowed for us to finally use ingredients that, although not traditional to the dish in Spain, can actually be found in our local markets. The art of making paella has been around for centuries and travelled its way across the world. With small setbacks, come great solutions.
However, the challenge may be that some of the paella ingredients are very difficult to find here in the states, such as the rice and the spices. Is Paella Difficult to Make? Classic Seafood PaellaĬontrary to popular belief, paella is actually not that difficult to make.Īlthough it may be very intimidating at first, the truth is that making paella can be quite easy to make so long you follow the instructions and use the right ingredients. Not only will you learn which rice is best for your paella, but you will also learn the do’s and don’ts of making paella in this article. You do not need to be a culinary chef on the coast of Spain to make a great paella, you just need the right ingredients and techniques. Luckily for you, there are alternatives to bomba rice that you can use for your paella.
With the help of the internet and various cookbooks there are many recipes out there to follow, there are people that will argue that an authentic well-made paella cannot be made by just following a recipe.Īlthough many think that the key to a great paella is the seafood, the truth is that the rice is the star of the show.īomba rice is by far the best rice for a paella, but if you do not live in Spain, it will be difficult to get your hands on it. Paella is one of those dishes that can either go great or terribly wrong with one misstep.