Dabiz Muñoz has done it again. After posting a Vietnamese-style paella recipe on Instagram, he has revived the debate about the ingredients that this beloved and controversial preparation can include. The reach of the recipe has been such that in less than 24 hours it has achieved more than 23,000 likes and hundreds of comments. And the reactions are mixed.
This version, which the chef has dubbed Ho Chi Minh paella (after the Vietnamese city with the same name), includes roasted vegetables in herb curry with grilled vegetables, coconut marinated chicken and lime dressing. In addition, Muñoz details in the publication, it presents a touch of coconut in the Vietnamese vegetable broth, “with which I dip the rice, which makes the socarrat acquire a crunchy toast.”
The final touch consists of adding a little lime juice so that it is toasted together with the socarrat, “which brings spark and electricity to the whole”, says the DiverXO chef. The result is a rice that is as appetizing as it is original, but which some Internet users believe does not meet the requirements to be called paella.
“You can’t call that paella…”, “that rice with coconut will be good, but calling it paella is a big word” or “it seems for a moment that it’s going to make a mojito” are some of the comments that reflect this opinion. But, unlike on other occasions, the recipe has been quite liked.
“Open a rice restaurant now. The rest of us mortals cannot miss these wonders,” says a user. “Send a táper”, comments another Internet user. “What a crack. When I think you can’t take a step further, you go and take it,” adds one more.
In short, the chef’s originality seems to convince rather than disappoint. A few months ago he dared to prepare a Galician paella that also generated numerous and varied reactions and on one occasion he even launched himself to prepare a brava paella. What will be next?
