Chinese paella??!?!?!

[Jenise]

Tonight our Bellingham tasting group is getting together. Topic: Viura and Tempranillo. I'm taking all Tempranillos because I can't find any particularly good Viura (aka macabeo) around, and the distribs/retail guys are likely to bring all that's available in our marketplace.

I always take food. It's not really up to me to feed them but I am really the only cook in the group and it's always a matter of self-defense for me to bring something worthwhile.

While shopping for groceries yesterday I decided I'd make a paella. I tentatively bought fresh shrimp and lobster tails for that, then thought about chorizo but remembered the pork-ginger-scallion sausage I'd just bought and suddenly could picture all that tasting like the inside of a pork and shrimp Chinese dumpling and voila, my brain deduced that I would have the most fun if I made a paella based on what I think if the dish were prepared by a Chinese chef who had never even laid eyes on the real deal but only knew it from description.

I'm debating, as I type, whether to rely just on seasoning for that effect while cooking it in the typical Paella stages, or if I should cook the rice first and develop it as a fried rice.

Leaning toward the latter. Any thoughts?

I like the idea of doing it in stages like a traditional paella. Doing it as a fried rice is a little too pedestrian. What seasonings are you planning to use that gives it a dinstinct flavor profile like saffron in the original? I'm thinking a combination of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves might head you in that direction (though I know that's not Chinese, but it's exotic), or are you thinking more 5 spice? Exciting!

[Jenise]

I like the idea of doing it in stages like a traditional paella. Doing it as a fried rice is a little too pedestrian. What seasonings are you planning to use that gives it a dinstinct flavor profile like saffron in the original? I'm thinking a combination of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves might head you in that direction (though I know that's not Chinese, but it's exotic), or are you thinking more 5 spice? Exciting!

Well, I had to get started on the dish and Bob was tinkering on the computers, so I went ahead and didn't get to read your input until just now.

I did decide to go traditional on the paella, but then I discovered that I had real Chinese cured sausage on hand. So I opened up that package and fried a few pieces to render off the fat and taste what I had. And I loved it. It's lightly sweet and fries up crisp and chewy--kind of like an Asian pork answer to squaw candy. SO GOOD, and it set off a chain of events that swayed me over to a deconstructed version. That is, it made me want ginger in the dish, which would be really cool if grated into the lobster chunks stir fried separately (in the shell)--wish I'd had lemongrass on hand to add to the lobster. And that freed me up to go kind of Portugese on the shrimp, cooking them with tons of slivered garlic in some of the rendered sausage oil and then tossing them with lots of finely chopped cilantro, and now I had a suite of three distinctly different flavored meats to add to the rice's fourth flavor, saffron. (Well, saffron and sautéed onion.) So it's all been recombined now and looks like a traditional paella, but the meat pieces were all done separately. I also added sautéed strips of orange bell pepper to the rice, and will finish the whole dish with lightly cooked snow peas. I'm also toying with making some kind of pimenton-lemon butter to drizzle over just before serving as a boost to the tempranillo wines we'll be drinking tonight.

I agree with Jo Ann. Given the choice between the two, a Chinese paella fusion dish sounds like an awful lot of fun.

I don't know if this is tenable given your circumstances, but if leafy wrappers were available I myself might opt for Zongzi instead.

Still, I don't think you can go wrong however you choose to present this. Great ingredients combined with great technique will always be appreciated, however it's presented. You go, girl

Well, I had to get started on the dish and Bob was tinkering on the computers, so I went ahead and didn't get to read your input until just now.

Lol. I must have hit my reply button at the exact same time you did. Glad - but not surprised - to see it all worked out great...in your usual inimitable style

Well, when I read your original post I was going to reply, "Go for it!!", but I see you did.
I've found that mixing the elements of "traditional" dishes from different cuisines often works out just fine, and just often enough to be interesting, more interesting than you imagined.
I see you did!

[Jenise]

Yup, it became a bit of the two. Not a fried rice, but not quite a true paella in that the seafood didn't meet the rice raw. It was a layering of ingredients cooked separately and then added together. The final addition of the pimento-butter was what pulled it all together--great flavor, only mistake was that I should have made/added twice as much and added more ginger as well. Still, fantastic with two Spanish Viuras, both made under flor, so they had some of that sherryish nuances.

Jenise, that sounds great. You have great understanding of flavours.
Unfortunately it reminded me (only for cross cultural reasons) that I once long, long ago made an "Asian" pizza, all that remains in memory is lap Cheung was involved and It. Was. So. Wrong. LAL ( live and learn)

Interesting, I got a big package of chinese sausage that's made in the U.S. at Costco and I've been trying to use it. Steaming is the traditional method but I found it lost a lot of fat that way. It's a bit chewy if you fry it a la ma po tofu, but still good. Cooking it with something moist, like rice, would probably be ideal.

[Jenise]

Interesting, I got a big package of chinese sausage that's made in the U.S. at Costco and I've been trying to use it. Steaming is the traditional method but I found it lost a lot of fat that way. It's a bit chewy if you fry it a la ma po tofu, but still good. Cooking it with something moist, like rice, would probably be ideal.

Walt, I prepped all the ingredients separately. Didn't steam my sausage, but pan fried it for crispy-chewy texture, then stirred it in at the last minute and used some of the rendered fat for more flavor.

In the interest of perfecting this recipe, I'm making another Chinese paella today. This time doubled the amount of saffron and added star anise, and instead of using Chinese sausage I'm using a fresh pork sausage that's more like a breakfast sausage but seasoned with ginger and scallions.

[Jenise]

Chinese Paella Rev 2.

Lobster, pimenton-crusted seared scallops, snow peas, pork-scallion-ginger sausage, orange bell peppers, green onions and bamboo shoots in a broth made with chicken broth, saffron, ginger and star anise. Rice is short grained Japanese.

ChinesePaella.jpg

Looks good!

Interesting, I got a big package of chinese sausage that's made in the U.S. at Costco and I've been trying to use it. Steaming is the traditional method but I found it lost a lot of fat that way. It's a bit chewy if you fry it a la ma po tofu, but still good. Cooking it with something moist, like rice, would probably be ideal.

One of the traditional Chinese methods for cooking it is to place slices of the sausage on the top of rice as it is being cooked. This works if you make the rice by bringing rice and water to a boil and then turning the heat down and covering the pot. About 5-8 minutes into the cooking process, when the rice has absorbed enough water to have a firm enough surface, you put the slices of sausage on top. The sausage steams nicely, and its fat and juices flavor the rice.

-Paul W.