We are big fans of paella (pronounced ‘pie-a-yah').
Frankly speaking, I am quite a new fan. I was only introduced to paella by
hubs a few years ago at
El Cerdo in KL, and boy, am I hooked!
For those who don’t know, paella is a rice dish that
originates from the Valencia region in Spain. The key ingredients in this dish
is obviously rice - short to medium grain, vegetables, saffron (which is the
most expensive spice in the world), and everything else you can think of –
chicken, snail, rabbit, seafood, sausages, pork etc.
So, you can
imagine our excitement when we were invited by Agua to experience a
Paella Cookout at the Mediterranean restaurant in Straits Quay. The cookout is
organized every third Wednesday of the month. I was told the previous
few cookouts had been hugely successful.
In the cookout, diners can experience
how paella is made and indulge in the taste of the paella, accompanied by a
generous serving of garlic bread, Paysanne salad and a glass of Sangria each. Given
how expensive we used to pay for paella at other restaurants, I
have to say the price of RM38++ per person is a real steal.
We reached the restaurant at 7:45pm, in the nick
of time before the paella cooking demonstration started. The restaurant was
already filled with diners and all abuzz with activities and excitement. Some
diners gathered around the table where the demo would take place.
All the
ingredients and cooking utensils were lined out on the table including the
special flat pans in which the paella will be cooked.
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| Crowd gathered around demo table |
The chef started the cooking demo by stir frying some fresh
ingredients like tomatoes, capsicum, beans, onion, garlic, chicken and squid
with olive oil and fresh herbs like oregano and thyme. The rice is then added
followed by stock. The prawns and mussels were last to go into the pan.
The
cooking demo was very interactive, with diners enthusiastically asking
questions and the chef happily sharing with them the secrets of cooking good
paella.
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| Short grain rice |
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| Smoked paprika powder |
The paella normally takes about 25 minutes to cook so diners were served with garlic bread and Paysanne salad in the meantime, with a glass of zesty Sangria on the side. For those who abstain from alcohol, a non-alcoholic version made with grape juice is also available.
Paysanne salad is a typical Spanish salad with fresh greens like avocado, cucumber, corn, carrot and onion drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs. The salad was very light; a great way to start the meal while we waited in anticipation for the climax of the night.
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| Sangria |
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| Paysanne Salad |
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| Garlic Bread |
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| The full house at the restaurant |
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| Seafood Paella and Chicken Paella served |
Diners were served to two types of paella that night – the Chicken
Paella and the Seafood Paella.
To me, paella is all about the burst of flavours in the
slightly sticky and burnt rice. The seafood or meat are nice to have but quite trivial. And I definitely get some of those flavours with the paella served that night.
I have never been to Spain but that night I experienced the passion for paella, a dish that is sometimes viewed as the national dish of the country.
I also experienced Agua's passion and celebration of the Mediterranean cuisine which strikingly stood out in the extensive Mediterranean menu and Karen and her team's genuine efforts to share the love of the cuisine with the people in Penang, which should be applauded.
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| Various promotions at Agua |
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| More promotions at Agua |
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| Set dinner menu |
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| Agua Mediterranean Restaurant |
If you are up for a chance to experience the flavours and
passion of Spain, what better way to do it than the Paella Cookout at Agua. So,
don’t miss the next cookout on May 16.
Book your seat now on-line at
http://www.agua.com.my/paella-cookout/ before May 16 to
experience it all at the special rate of RM38++ per person. Tickets sold on the
night will be RM50++ per person. For reservation, call +604-8908668.
Read Lingzie's review of the Paella Cookout here.
3AG18-19 Straits Quays, E&O Marina,
Penang,
10470,
Malaysia.
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