I love rice. I love Paella. I also love Arroz Negro. That's black rice to you and me. I first tasted it in Valencia, and I've been hooked ever since.

"Rice isn't meant to be black!" screamed a friend visiting from Yorkshire, England. "Rice should be yellow, or white."

"And pork pies aren't meant to be served hot!" I retorted.

I convinced my set-in-his-ways friend to sample black rice. Cooked with cuttlefish or squid, it's the ink from those that turns the rice (ideally the Bomba kind) black. This dish did not come about by accident. Valencianos have been developing rice and noodle dishes since at least the 19th century. With good reason, they say the best rice dishes, of any colour, are served in their restaurants.

Today you are likely to find it on menus in Valencian as "Arroz Negro" and in Catalan written as "Arròs Negre". You'll find people in each region laying claim to originating this unique dish. Who invented it doesn't matter. It's how it is cooked and served today that counts. If you use calamari to colour the rice, then you can extract it from the squid yourself or buy sachets of black ink from most Spanish supermarkets. It's more fun to do it yourself, but be sure not to wear your favourite white shirt or dress when preparing this dish. Things can get messy.

Valencia-based chef Esteban Jiménez says: "Making Arroz Negro is easy. As with all rice dishes, the important factor is cooking the rice correctly. Get the right texture of rice and people will eat it no matter which colour it is. Turning the rice black is simple whether you use squid, as many people do, or cuttlefish. Arroz Negro has been around for centuries and is very popular with those who dine with us at the weekend."

I have been one of those people. For those of you who are unsure about black rice; I urge you to experiment. Try Arroz Negro. It will cost you little and prove to you that, when it comes to rice, not everything is yellow or white. Sometimes it's black.

If you fancy making Arroz Negro yourself, here is a great recipe from Núria at Spanish Recipes. If you're too lazy to make it yourself, we offer ready-to-cook Arroz Negro in a kit which takes no work and is ready in 15 minutes.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

FOR THE STEW

  • 2 big onions
  • 2 leeks
  • 1 garlic head
  • a bunch of parsley
  • 4 ripe tomatoes
  • 2 pimientos choriceros or ñoras, or 3 full teaspoons of their meat paste
  • the ink of two cuttlefish (ask your fishmonger or buy it in your supermarket in small packages)
  • olive oil
  • 2 litres of fish stock (see below)
  • 600 grams of cleaned squids
  • 8 shrimps
  • 400 grams of rice
  • maldon salt
  • normal salt

FOR THE FISH STOCK

  • 1/4 of the head of a monk fish
  • 1 leek
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • salt

Preparation

  1. Start the stew. Peel and cut the onions, the leeks, and the garlic head (cut in half and don't take the peel away).
  2. Pour enough olive oil to cover all the casserole's surface and throw the veggies in. The heat should be low. Add some salt.
  3. When the vegetables are tender and soft, add the tomatoes cut in half, the bunch of parsley, the ñoras or pimientos or the 3 teaspoons of their meat, and the cleaned squids with their legs.
  4. Start the fish stock. In a different pot, place the cleaned monk fish head, and the cleaned and cut veggies. Cover with water (approx. 3 litres), add some salt and bring to boil. Take the white foam away and boil for max. 30 minutes. Strain and reserve.
  5. Continue with the stew. When the squids have left all their water and the tomatoes are nearly dissolved (this could take approx. 30 to 45 minutes), add the cuttlefish ink and 2 litres of the fish stock you just prepared. Cook with the heat low until the liquid reduces half its volume.
  6. Separate the ingredients. Strain the black liquid in a big bowl, pick the squids and reserve on a different plate, and take all the veggies aside.
  7. Start the rice. Heat some olive oil in a big pan. Fry a garlic clove in that oil and when it starts changing its colour, remove it. Turn the heat to low. Take the veggies, leaving their peels on the plate, as well as the garlic and parsley, and add them to the garlic oil. Stir them over medium heat.
  8. Add the rice and mix it in with the veggies. Stir for 20 seconds or so. Add some of the black liquid you have reserved and stir again. When it gets absorbed by the rice, add more. High heat. This is very similar to cooking risotto in that the liquid is added little by little. It helps with achieving a perfect rice consistency and texture: mellow, creamy and flavourful!
  9. Add the squids to the pan and keep on adding liquid until you get the desired rice texture. It could take 17 to 20 minutes depending on the heat, pan, rice, water used for the stock… many things!!! Just keep on stirring and taste to see. Add more salt if necessary.
  10. Clean the shrimps. Place a sauce pan on high heat and pour some salt in it. When hot, add the shrimps and cook only 30 seconds per side. Peel them and leave their tail on.
  11. Serve the black rice with the shrimps on top and sprinkle with maldon salt.

For the full recipe with illustrated instructions, be sure to visit Núria's amazing collection of Spanish Recipes.