Black Mussels Paella

Ingredients

• 500g Basmati rice
• 500g of black mussels
• 1 no. of yellow onions
• ½ green capsicum
• ½ red capsicum
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (15-20 pieces)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cube chicken stock
• 700 ml water
• 3 pips of garlic
• 10 peppercorns
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3 stalks of basil
• 2 stalks of thyme
• Sea salt to taste
• Saffron water 50ml

Preparation

1. Boil 700ml of  water in a pot with peppercorns, 1 stalk of thyme, bay leaves and garlic & season with salt.
2. Add in the clams and boil till the clams are cooked (the shells will be opened). Discard the ones that did not open.
3. Drain the mussels and reserved the liquid to cook the rice.
4. Meanwhile, chop the onions and capsicum into cubes and slice the basil leaves.
5. Wash the rice and drain all the excess water.
6. Heat the pot with oil and saute half of the chopped onions, basil and tomatoes for 1 minute and set aside to use later.
7. In the same pot add some oil, sauté the other half of the onions, thyme and add in the rice. Continue to sauté and add in the tomato paste and stir well.
8. Pour in the mussel stock, crush the chicken stock cube to the rice (TIP: Crush the chicken cube and add a little mussel stock to dissolve). Simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
9. Once the rice is cooked, pour in the saffron water and add in the sautéed tomatoes and mussels.

Enjoy!