Originally Posted by
LapLap
I'm glad you had such a delicious rice/arroz dish.
But calling this orgasmic wok cooked experience 'paella' is as ridiculous as calling chicken served on a ceramic plate "chicken in a basket".
Seriously, why are all these wonderful 'arrozes' being called paella???
It's like seeing a sashimi thread with loads of comments about the fabulous carpaccio and ceviche or sushi and donburi people have had (but where everyone is convinced they are eating authentic sashimi).
So one of the criteria to be acceptable paella is it must be made in a traditional paella pan? Assuming the recipe is exactly the same using a wok and a proper pan, plus tastes similar, the wok batch can never be properly called paella?
The design of the wok somehow allowed for crusty rice as well as any paella I've ever had (just because the pan is designated a "wok", it doesn't mean I mixed the dish like preparing a stir-fry). A thin layer of slightly burnt crust is mandatory in my scoring system, in order to be considered a success.
Frankly I've had some pretty mediocre paella in Spain. Just wander into the cafeteria at at big box store like Alcampo. Their "paella of the day" for 6 or 7 Euros is served out of a giant paella pan. It might not meet either of our criteria for being acceptable taste-wise, but the basic ingredients and cooking technique is all there.