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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw
series • cooking
PG
series • cooking
PG
Paprika is a beloved spice that may be gentle in flavour but delivers a mighty wallop of colour. The vibrant red of a paprika dish is its calling card in Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mexican... actually, so many cuisines we'd be hard-pressed to list them all.
Even without its signature red hue, this pantry staple brings a sweet earthiness to dishes that are missed when absent. How 'sweet' depends on the kind of paprika you buy.
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Spice merchant diary: paprika
All paprika is basically ground from dried capsicum annum, which includes everything from sweet red capsicums to fiery chillies. Most supermarket versions are labelled either sweet paprika, which gives a dish a subtle sweetness and plenty of colour; or hot paprika, which is made from dried chillies and adds pungency and true heat to your dish.
You'll also find smoked paprika on the shelf, which is made by drying the peppers over smoking wood, usually oak. Smoked paprika (or picante pimentón if you happen to be purchasing from a Spanish deli) has a pungent, smoky flavour that is very difficult to replicate and easily missed from a dish. So if a recipe asks for smoked paprika, do your best to find smoked!
Whatever way you decide to paprika, be generous. After all, the bigger the paprika, the brighter the dish, the better the life. Hmmm, we're sure that must be a wise old saying somewhere...
Mother lode
While many other proteins feature in paprikash style, chicken is the most popular. Credit: Adam Liaw
Vermillion bucks
This fragrant, baked curry is packed with flavour from a traditional Sri Lankan red curry powder. Credit: Jiwon Kim
Extra lift
Onion, capsicum and chilli are blended together to make a silky, flavoursome sauce, then garnished with a homemade smoky paprika oil for an elegant finish. Credit: Jiwon Kim
First served
The Middle-Eastern version of eggs for breakfast involves baking the eggs in a earthy paprika tomato sauce, spiced lightly with chilli and capsicum. Credit: Bondi Harvest
TOO EASY
Make shakshuka while you sleep
Corba everything
It's hearty, it's versatile, it's loved, loved, loved. Credit: Adam Liaw
ANNUAL SPECIAL
Fisherman’s soup (halaszle)
Well spread
Liptauer is made from a soft cheese mixed with paprika, butter caraway seeds and finely chopped onions. Credit: Kitti Gould
Shanklish very much
This is a quick-and-easy version of shanklish made using feta.
Red, red rice
The name risotto alla paprica refers to the capsicum in the dish, rather than paprika. But rest assured, there's plenty of the spice used in the dish as well. Credit: Paola Bacchia
Barbie punch
With punchy flavours made with simple pantry ingredients, these pork skewers are the perfect dish to bring to your next barbecue. Credit: Jiwon Kim
Good lashings
Dive straight into winter with a happy heart. Credit: Chris Middleton
Every which way
Mushroom and capsicum goulash (Gulash di funghi e peperoni)
Spanish flair
Spanish paprika chicken is a classic family dinner bake. Credit: Brett Stevens
