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Arròs brut
Soupy rice with chicken and pork
Arròs brut: Mallorca's soupy 'dirty rice' with chicken, pork ribs, vegetables and warm spices
The 'dirty' in arròs brut is the colour the broth takes from cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and saffron, a spice mix that goes back to the island's medieval kitchens. Inland Mallorca cooks it on autumn and winter Sundays and at hunting lunches, with chicken, pork ribs, rabbit or small game, plus mushrooms, artichoke, green beans and peas, and serves it soupy, eaten with a spoon. This contains pork (pork ribs). Chef's tip: toast the ground spices for only a few seconds in the oil, then add the tomato at once, because burnt cloves and cinnamon make the whole pot bitter.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meat and broth
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ lb chicken thighs and drumsticksskin on, cut into pieces
- 14 oz pork ribscut into 4 cm pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 4 cloves garlicchopped
- 2 ripe tomatoesgrated
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 8 ¼ cups water
For the spices
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp black pepperground
- 1 pinch saffron threads
For the vegetables and rice
- 9 oz wild or chestnut mushroomssliced
- 3 artichoke heartsquartered
- 5 ½ oz green beanscut into 3 cm lengths
- 3 ½ oz peasfresh or frozen
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the 5 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy pot over a medium-high heat. Season the 1 ½ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks and 14 oz pork ribs with half the 1 tsp salt and brown them in batches for 8–10 minutes until deep golden all over.
15 minStep 2: Add the 1 onion and cook for 8 minutes until soft, then the 4 cloves garlic for 1 minute. Stir in the 1 tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ½ tsp black pepper for 10 seconds only, then add the 2 ripe tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until thick.
14 minStep 3: Pour in the 8 ¼ cups water with the rest of the 1 tsp salt and the 1 pinch saffron threads. Bring to the boil, skim off any foam and simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes until the meat is tender.
30 minStep 4: Add the 9 oz wild or chestnut mushrooms, 3 artichoke hearts and 5 ½ oz green beans and simmer for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 5: Stir in the 12 ½ oz short-grain rice (bomba or similar) and 3 ½ oz peas and simmer for 16–18 minutes, stirring now and then, until the rice is tender but still has a little bite and is swimming in plenty of broth. A common mistake is letting it cook dry like a paella; arròs brut should be soupy, so add a little boiling water if needed.
18 minStep 6: Check the chicken is cooked through: a thermometer in the thickest piece should read 165°F and the pork ribs at least 160°F, with no pink juices. Rest for 3 minutes off the heat and serve in soup plates.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arròs brut take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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