Serves a family of 4
Total prep and cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients
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3 tbsp olive oil
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3 tbsp minced garlic
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½ tsp cumin seeds
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1 tsp chilli flakes
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2 x red birds eye chillies or green finger chillies
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Large pinch of saffron strands
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1 tsp ground turmeric
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Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, (plus extra for garnish)
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2 x vegetable stock cubes
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½ tsp ground black pepper
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Salt to taste
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250g mushrooms – washed, diced
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200g courgette – trimmed, washed, finely diced
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150g frozen peas
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2x 250g pouches of Uncle Bens’s Classic Basmati Rice (ready in 2 minutes)
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1 fresh lime
Method
Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan (ideally non-stick), or a deep cast-iron pot. Toss in the garlic, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, birds eye chillies, saffron, turmeric and the parsley – sauté for 2 minutes on medium-low heat until a paste/ masala is formed. Then crumble in the stock cubes (I used Oxo because they are crumblier than others), add a splash of water, black pepper and salt to taste. Saute for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, courgette, peas, and stir well to coat the vegetable in the masala. Sauté for 6-7 minutes until the vegetables are tender, but still have a bite to them.
Press the Uncle Ben’s pouches with your fingers to separate the rice, then tear off the top and add both pouches to the pot and stir to combine with the vegetables and spices. Add 4 tablespoons of boiled water (according to packet instructions), give the rice another quick stir, cover and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Once cooked, cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves onto the paella, then stir gently. Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the paella to garnish and serve.
**This post was sponsored by Uncle Ben’s. However the recipe is my own, and this really is a super-easy, mouth-watering meal your family with love!**
