Chicken Paella with Cardamom

I tried my hand at cooking a Chicken Paella with Cardamom,  this is my take on it though with a little Indian spice twist.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

10 small pcs  Boneless Skinless Chicken  Cutlets 

3/4 cup  Rice I used Shirakiku Calrose

1 3/4  cups  Water  (Rice to water ratio is key, it has to be 1 part  Rice to 2 parts Water plus a little bit more for an open pan)

1 large  Beefsteak  tomato diced and leave 3 round slices 

1 Medium Bell Pepper julienned (I used a yellow one)

1  tbsp Pemienton (Spanish sweet paprika)

4 Cloves of Garlic minced

5 pods Cardamom

3 tbsp Extravirgin Olive Oil

Salt and Fresh ground pepper (I use a pepper mill)

Season the raw Chicken with salt a pepper to taste, then brown in the pan on both sides under high heat.  Once the chicken are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.   Toast the crushed cardamom pods for a few seconds in the oilve oil,  throw in  the minced garlic don't let it burn so keep stirring, thow in the julienned bell peppers,  then the diced tomatoes stir thoroughly.   When the tomatoes have cooked down add the Rice.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste and the Pemienton, stir until all the rice is coated with the Pemienton.  Cook until the Rice becomes almost translucent, then add the water.  Stir to deglaze the pan and spead out the rice for even cooking.   Wait until it starts to boil then add the Chicken back, spread out evenly.  Just lay the chicken on top, just immersed in the fluids, don't mix it in.  Place the Beefsteak Tomato slices on top.  Let it simmer on high heat for 5 minutes then lower it down to low-medium and leave for 15 to 20 min.  Ressist the urge to touch, don't even try to taste.  Just leave the whole thing alone and don't cover.  You'll know when it's done when you can hear a little crackling noise from the bottom of the pan.   A proper Paella should have a crust in the bottom.  Serve and enjoy!

I might be biased,  but my Chicken Paella with Cardamom turned out delicious  ;-).  And there's that added surprise from the cardamom when you get a burst of what I would describe as a "bouquet of flowers in your mouth".  I had mine with a nice bottle of Mission St. Pale Ale  4.6% ABV, light crisp citrusy sweet, and lemony bitterness.