Bomba rice, also known as Valencia rice, is key for dishes like Valencian paella and its ability to maintain shape and flavor sets it apart. Whether you're perfecting a traditional Spanish dish or comparing the grain to Arborio rice, bomba rice expands your cooking possibilities. I'll guide you through what makes bomba rice unique and show you how to cook it to perfection at home with step-by-step instructions.
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🌾 Grain Highlights
- Learn about bomba rice's essential role in Valencian cuisine and its unique qualities that make it perfect for paella. Discover its distinct shape, cooking behavior, and why it's preferred for traditional Spanish dishes.
- Get step-by-step instructions for perfectly cooking bomba rice, ensuring it retains its firmness and flavor. This guide provides practical tips for achieving authentic Spanish flavors in your home cooking.
❓ What is Bomba Rice?
Bomba rice, also known as Valencia rice, plays a crucial role in Valencia's culinary traditions, and it's a favorite for creating the world famous paella.
The three most famous types of paella are:
- Paella Valenciana: uses chicken, rabbit, green beans, tomato, saffron, and paprika, amongst others.
- Seafood Paella: this uses fish as its main protein, with shrimp, mussels, and clams the most common, and sometimes squid or cuttlefish. Paprika, saffron, and tomato are also used.
- Mixed Paella: It mixes the two types above, with the addition of pork and chorizo.
This type of rice is easy to spot due to its unique physical traits. The grains are round and short, measuring about 5 mm in length and 2 mm in width. They have a distinctive pearly appearance, making them stand out among other varieties. It also has quite a long cooking time, usually between 15 and 20 minutes.
As per the Tienda, this special paella rice comes from an ancient lineage and is cultivated with care to ensure its unique qualities. It grows slowly, without the need for pesticides or herbicides, often in pristine environments like the Albufera Nature Reserve near Valencia.
🔎 Unique Cooking Behavior
Cooked bomba rice stands out because it retains a distinct firmness. This characteristic makes it ideal for dishes where the rice's shape and texture are as important as its flavor, so it is not surprising that these short grains are perfect for making paella.
Bomba rice expands in width rather than length, unlike other rice varieties, like Asian rice, which might become sticky or mushy when absorbing liquids.
This unique quality ensures that each grain remains separate and al dente, providing a satisfying bite. Its ability to absorb flavors from broths, spices, and ingredients makes it a preferred choice among cooks.
🆚 Bomba Rice vs Arborio
As mentioned above, and most experts agree, bomba rice is the preferred choice for preparing authentic paella. This is mainly due to its absorption capabilities, which allow it to soak up two to three times its volume in liquid without losing its shape and texture.
However, arborio rice, from Italy, is a common substitute for bomba rice in the U.S. because it's easier to find. Italian arborio rice has wider grains and a higher amylopectin content, which gives it a creamy, chewy texture when cooked. This texture is great for risotto but not the best for paella, where you want all the grains to stand alone and not stick together.
🛒 Ingredients
- Rice: When shopping, try to opt for authentic bomba rice that has been grown in the Valencia region of Spain. If you find a package with a Denomination of Origin (D.O.) label, this confirms authenticity and quality, and you can be sure of good results.
Be sure to check out the recipe card for all the ingredients and instructions you'll need to make this dish. Don't miss out on any of the details!
♻️ Substitutions and Variations
- Broth: As this short-grain variety of rice absorbs flavor very well, you can use any cold broth or stock of your liking instead of water. In doing so, ensure you adjust the amount of salt you add to the dish.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make (step-by-step)
- Thoroughly wash the rice until the water runs clear. [Picture 1]
- In a pan with a heavy bottom and a tight-fitting lid, heat up the olive oil on medium heat.
- Add your washed rice to the oil and mix well. Allow the grains to toast on low heat for a couple of minutes, constantly mixing, until their color starts to change and you can smell the aroma. [Picture 2]
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the cold water and salt to it, and mix thoroughly again. You will need 2.5 cups of water for each cup of rice.
- Cover the pan with the lid and place it on high heat.
- As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat to low, keeping the water to just a light simmer.
- From this moment, allow it to cook for 16 minutes.
- After 16 minutes, switch off the heat, and allow the sealed pan to rest there for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove the lid from the pan, and fluff up the rice using a fork. Your perfectly cooked bomba rice is now ready to be served!
🙋♀️ People Also Ask [FAQs]
What is the Bomba Rice to Water Ratio?
The ideal ratio for Bomba rice is 2 ½ cups of water per cup of uncooked rice. The water to rice ratio is extremely important to avoid soupy or mushy paella.
Is There A Specific Method To Cook Bomba Rice?
Typically bomba rice is cooked slowly over low heat. This slow cooking process allows the rice to absorb more liquid and flavors from the ingredients. It's important not to stir the rice once it starts cooking, as this can lead to a mushy texture.
Can Bomba Rice Be Used For Dishes Other Than Paella?
While Bomba rice is famous for its use in paella, its ability to absorb flavors makes it versatile for a variety of other dishes like risotto, rice pudding, or any recipe that calls for a short-grain rice.
How To Store Cooked Bomba Rice?
Store the rice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. You can freeze the rice in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it until thoroughly hot before serving.
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🍽️ Recipe
How To Cook Bomba Rice
Ingredients
- 200 g Bomba Rice
- 500 g Water
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt To Taste
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the rice until the water runs clear.
- In a pan with a heavy bottom and a tight-fitting lid, heat up the olive oil on medium heat. This is a recipe that will produce perfectly cooked rice by absorption without the need to purchase a traditional paella pan.
- Once warm, add your washed rice to the oil and mix well. Allow the grains to toast on low heat for a couple of minutes, constantly mixing, until their color starts to change and you can smell its aroma.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the cold water and salt to it, and mix thoroughly again. You will need 2.5 cups of water for each cup of rice. This is the moment you stop stirring, and you won't touch the rice or remove the lid until after it has rested and all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Cover the pan with the lid and place it on high heat.
- As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat to low, keeping the water to just a light simmer. Should it be needed, move it to a smaller burner if required.
- From this moment, allow it to cook for 16 minutes.
- After 16 minutes, switch off the heat, and allow the sealed pan to rest there for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove the lid from the pan, and fluff up the rice using a fork.
- Your perfectly cooked bomba rice is now ready to be served!
Notes
- Don’t stir the pot while cooking as this will break up the grains and make them mushy instead of fluffy.
- Measure the water and rice using the same unit of measurement. My preferred method is in grams using an electronic scale, as it is extremely precise.
- Store the rice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. You can freeze the rice in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it until thoroughly hot before serving.
Felicity Meyers says
It turned out perfectly.I will try your other recipes too.Warm wishes, Felicity
Elle John says
That's great, Felicity! So glad to hear!
Best, Elle
Barbara J Nosek says
You sure covered a lot of ground and thank you, but here's what I didn't find - what is the yield in cups from one cup raw?
Elle John says
Thank you, Barbara. I find with my recipe [1 cup of rice and 2.5 cups of water], I end up with around 2.5 cups of cooked rice.
This may change if you follow different recipes or proportions.
Hope this helps!
Mikey says
Great recipe! I've been wanting to try making paella, and this is the perfect guide. Gotta nail the rice first before diving into all those meats and veggies. Thanks for the tips!
Elle John says
That is absolutely great to hear, Mikey! Thank you!
Susannah says
Question: is the Bomba variety considered refined? It says it is a white rice. So, would there be no bran to discard? I am asking because I cannot eat phytates that are in whole grain products, like brown rice, whole wheat, etc.
Elle John says
Hi Susannah,
Bomba rice is indeed a variety of white rice. This means it has been refined to remove the bran and germ, leaving just the endosperm. This refining process also removes phytochemicals, which are mainly found in the bran layer of whole grains. While we strive to provide accurate and helpful information, please remember that we are not medical professionals. For a thorough understanding of your dietary needs and advice on consuming white rice like bomba, it's best to consult with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Hope this helps!
Judy Lim says
I read that we do not rinse bomba rice otherwise it gets starchy making paella.
Elle John says
Hi Judy!
Yes, for paella it is best not to rinse the rice. The starch and rice powder help create the rich texture of the dish.
To make simple Bomba rice, I rinse the rice, as the scope of the dish is different.
Hope this helps and thank you for your comment.