Paelya

Paelya (Tagalog: [pɐˈʔɛːl.jɐ]) or paella (Spanish) is a Philippine rice dish adapted from the Valencian paella. However, it differs significantly in its use of native glutinous rice (malagkít), giving it a soft and sticky texture, unlike the al dente texture favoured in Spanish paella. It is also characteristically topped with sliced eggs. Filipino paelya does not use saffron, but is instead coloured with atsuete (anatto), luyang diláw (turmeric), or kasubhâ (safflower).

Paelya is also a general term for similar dishes in the Philippines, regardless of the ingredients used. It includes arroz a la valenciana (usually made with chicken and chorizo de bilbao), bringhe (made with coconut milk), and paella negra (made with squid ink).

The name is derived from Spanish paella, but is pronounced with lleismo. Like most occurrences of the ll digraph in Philippine languages, it is pronounced with [lj] rather than the Spanish [ʎ]. Hence the nativized spelling of "paelya".

Filipino paelya is prepared similarly to its ancestors, the Valencian paella and the Latin American arroz a la valenciana, but consists of more indigenous ingredients. Instead of arroz bomba, paelya favors high-quality, local heirloom rice varieties, like Ifugao tinawon, which has similar characteristics to arroz bomba. Imported long-grain rice (like jasmine rice) are also used. This is mixed with glutinous rice (malagkít) in varying ratios, ranging from a fourth of the regular rice to equal parts, depending on how sticky the final product is desired to be.

In place of saffron, paelya uses annatto (atsuete), turmeric (luyang dilaw), or safflower (kasubhâ). Sometimes, a knot of pandán (screwpine) leaves is added, infusing the dish with a vanilla-like scent. Some variations will also use tomato sauce in the sofrito (ginisa) to color and flavor the dish.

Meat paelya typically use chicken, pork, beef, and smoked spicy sausages. The sausages used in paelya can be any of the native smoked lóngganisa, but it is usually chorizo de bilbao (which despite its name, is a native Filipino sausage). Seafood paelya typically include mussels (tahóng), blue crab (alimasag), large prawns (hipon), clams (kabibì), and squid (pusít). The meat and seafood versions are commonly mixed together. The typical vegetables and spices used include bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, ginger, carrots, green peas, black pepper, scallions, paprika, and raisins. It is usually garnished with calamansi and sliced hard-boiled eggs. Other native condiments and ingredients can also be added, like lemongrass (tanglád), patís (fish sauce), and bagoóng alamáng (shrimp paste).

Paelya is usually cooked in a paellera, a shallow and wide pan with two handles. Though it can also be cooked in a kawalì (wok). Due to the complexity of the dish and its ingredients, paelya is rarely served in everyday meals. It is considered luxurious, reserved for special occasions. Paelya is commonly served on Christmas Eve during the Nochebuena (Christmas dinner).

Because the dish is easy to modify, there are numerous variants of paelya, depending on the ingredients at hand. They include the following: