DIY Spice mixes

My go-to Friday night dish is a paella. The ‘anything goes’ method ticks all the boxes as it uses up any surplus ingredients lurking at the bottom of the fridge at the end of the week. Paella is a Spanish dish, or strictly speaking a Valencian dish, as it developed into its modern day form in the nineteenth century near Albufura, in Valencia province. There are various versions of the traditional paella valenciana including paella de marisco (seafood) and, I was pleased to note, paella de verduras – a vegetarian or vegan version. The name paella comes from the Catalan word for the cooking pan paella. The pan itself is traditionally a large shallow round steel pan with two handles, though I find it cooks just as well in large flat frying or saute pan.

It’s worth trying to track down the proper ‘bomba’ rice as this is happy to cook without too much stirring, unlike a risotto. The French like paella, especially the further south you travel, and paella stands are often seen in the local markets, with a huge pan set up over a gas flame. They’re also popular for community get-togethers and here several of surrounding villages hold a paella night once a year. It’s great food to cook for a crowd. True paella rice may take a little tracking down in France, but it’s often in the bio shops and I’ve found genuine Spanish paella rice in E.leclerc. Alternatively I’ve had great success with the Ailé Taureau brand ‘Riz Méditerraneé de Camargue’.

 

For spicing, I usually use a Ducros pre-mixed paella spice mix sachet, or a little sachet of Riz d’Or, which gives the same effect as saffron, a rather expensive ingredient. However, when I came to knock up a paella after a busy day working I found the usual spice mix had run out. As a paella had already been promised, I researched which of the herbs and spices I already had in stock could be used as substitutes.

The main spices in paella are the Spanish piment or paprika, saffron, cayenne pepper and garlic, with a touch of dried herbs, and some salt and pepper. The result of my recipe mix (below) was much better than the packet mix I’d previously been using, although it lacked the vibrant yellow colour as I didn’t have any saffron to hand (I could have used a pinch of turmeric). Now that my vegetarian and vegan cooking experiments have expanded the range of spices in the kitchen I’ve decided to make my own mixes in the future, starting with our three favourites: paella, tagine and curry.

Paella Mix

2 pinches of saffron threads (or ½ tsp turmeric)

2–3 tbsp Spanish paprika (piment)

3­–4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Pinch of dried thyme or rosemary

Pinch of salt 
 

Tajine mix: Ras-el-hanout

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp chilli

½ tsp cardamom

½ tsp ginger

½ turmeric
 

Curry mix

2 tsp cumin seeds (toasted and ground)

2 tsp coriander seeds (toasted and ground)

1 tsp fennel seeds (toasted and ground)

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cardamom