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Bringhe
Kapampangan Arroz Valenciana / Filipino-Style Paella
Ingredients
Bringhe:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken pieces (we prefer thighs)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion (minced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2-3 oz chorizo (about 1 link)
1 cup glutinous white rice
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin 2"-long strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin 2"-long strips
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup black raisins
13.5 oz can low fat coconut milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
2 bay leaves
5 large rectangles of banana leaf
Garnish:
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered (8 pieces total)
8 pieces of red bell pepper cut into thin 2" long strips
4 pieces cooked chicken
4 pieces cooked chorizo
handful of green peas
handful of black raisins
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Instructions
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Boil 2 eggs. Take a small saucepan, and fill it up with enough cool to room temperature tap water so that there's about half an inch of water over the eggs. Turn on the heat to medium heat, and let the water come to a boil. When the water starts to boil, immediately turn off the heat, and put a lid on. Let the eggs continue cooking for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, transfer the eggs into an ice-bath. After a minute in the ice-bath, carefully peel the eggs and cut them into quarters, resulting in 8 pieces. Set this aside.
Take 1 small carrot, peel it and slice it into thin 2" long strips. Take 1 red bell pepper and slice it into thin 2" long strips. Set aside 8 pieces of the red bell pepper for the garnish.
Take 5 large pieces of banana leaf and cut it into large rectangles that's big enough to cover a 9" round pan or cast iron skillet, about 10" to 15" rectangles. If using frozen banana leaf like we do, defrost it first and gently pat them dry before passing over a flame. Pass the pieces of banana leaves over a stove flame for a few seconds to soften it and make it easier to mold. Passing over the flame will also remove any remaining moisture from defrosting.
Take a 9" skillet, we like to use a 9" cast iron skillet, and line it with 2 of the rectangles of moldable banana leaf, crossing the banana leaves over each other so that they go all the way up the sides. Mold the leaves to the shape of the skillet so that the banana leaves overshoot the sides of the skillet a bit. Set this aside.
Take 1 1/2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken pieces (we prefer thighs), and cut them into bite-size pieces. Season with salt to and pepper, to taste. We add about 1 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper. Mix well and set this aside. Take 2 to 3 oz, which is about 1 link, of chorizo de bilbao, or any kind of chorizo or sausage will do, and slice it into 1/4"-thick slices. Set this aside.
Take a large non-stick skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Add in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add in 1 small yellow onion, minced, and 2 cloves of garlic, minced. Sauté for 3 minutes, until they are lightly browned.
Add in the chicken pieces, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is lightly browned. Add in the pieces of chorizo, and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. When the chicken and chorizo are cooked, remove 4 pieces of chicken and 4 pieces of chorizo from the skillet and set them aside. These will be used later for the garnish.
Add in 1 cup of glutinous (sticky) white rice and 1 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder. Stir the rice in a bit so all the grains are coated with oil and the turmeric is evenly distributed. Add in the sliced carrots, sliced bell peppers (remember to save 8 slices for the garnish), 1/3 cup of frozen peas, and 1/4 cup black raisins. Stir these in till everything is evenly distributed.
Then add low-fat coconut milk from a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk and 2 bay leaves. Mix again so everything is evenly distributed, and let the coconut milk come to a boil. Once it is boiling, cover with a lid, and turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
During the 30 minutes of cooking time, prep the banana leaf-lined skillet by decoratively arranging the pieces of egg on the bottom of the skillet, with the yellows facing down. I like to arrange them in a circle in the middle of the pan. Then arrange the 8 slices of red bell pepper that had been set aside. Arrange the 4 pieces of chicken and 4 pieces of chorizo we had set aside earlier, so they are evenly distributed on the bottom. Do the same thing with a handful of frozen green peas and a handful of black raisins.
After 30 minutes of cooking covered on low heat, the sticky rice should be fully cooked and most of the liquid should be absorbed. turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaves.
Immediately transfer the rice mixture into the banana leaf-lined skillet, careful not to move the decorative garnishes at the bottom of the pan. You'll see that there will be socarrat or "tutong" in Tagalog, which is a crispy layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan. Be sure to scrape that off and add that in. Then cover the rice mixture with the third prepared banana leaf.
Heat the banana leaf-lined skillet over medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes (our cast iron pan takes longer to heat up, so ours was done closer to 10 minutes). This last step will imbue the rice with the aromatics of the banana leaf, as well as form additional banana leaf-infused socarrat / tutong. Turn off the heat. Let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes to cool.
Remove the banana leaf on top. Then line a flat serving dish with the 4th and 5th prepared banana leaves, crossing the banana leaves over each other so that they cover the serving dish completely. Then quickly and confidently invert the bringhe onto the banana leaf-lined dish, so that the toasted bottom ends up on top. Peel off the two banana leaves that lined the skillet to reveal the socarrat. Enjoy!