The recipe that emerged on social networks and has become the 'Rolls Royce' of broths

One of the protagonists of this story is a reference for his dry and thin rice rice workshops. Félix Vallugera (Barcelona, ​​48 years old) was dedicated to sound and came to work with groups such as Pereza, Hombres G or El Canto del Loco. When the album crisis hit, he moved to the audiovisual area, a job that did not satisfy him as much as cooking, which he became interested in watching Canal Cocina recipes. His restlessness led him to study at Le Cordon Bleu in 2014. There he began to be interested in broths and especially in the topic of rice, the thin-layered ones, his favorite. He “He began to investigate how many grams of rice were necessary to make a good recipe, and for it to really taste like broth.”

The secret: removing ingredients, in search of greater purity of flavors. For example, something that he hated in a broth was that it had carrots because it gave it sweetness. During this time the pandemic arrived, he began to work less of his own and cook more at home. He shared everything on social networks, especially on X and on Instagram, where he began with his account @cook_obsession to awaken curiosity about rice among his followers. “On the weekends people asked me questions and I started thinking about setting up a workshop.” The response was a complete success, since people from all corners, even from outside Spain, signed up every 15 days, on Fridays and Sundays. He has been taking this type of distance learning courses for four years, where everything is measured to the millimeter on a scientific basis so that there is no error in the preparation of the rice. Famous is the cry that he sends to anyone who wants to hear him on social networks: “Make broth, ciborium.” He even has a t-shirt for sale with the phrase. Proudly, he shares the achievements of his most gifted students.

More information

François Chartier: “It is a mistake to eat cheese with grapes and strawberries with chocolate”

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Felix Vallugera (@cook_obsession)

But there was a pupil who went a little further. He was not left alone with the rice recipe. Two and a half years ago, Christopher Golding (Devon, United Kingdom, 42 years old), a hotelier with restaurants and bars in Madrid, which he got rid of before the pandemic arrived, proposed a business, in response to his entrepreneurial streak: create a special broth for the rice or whatever was needed. They started working on the recipe, which they finished perfecting a few months ago. “There is a lot of R&D behind it, especially until we found the correct method so that the broth did not need cold and was natural. What was most difficult was elevating the recipe to a larger mass production than what is made at home,” explains Vallugera, in the kitchen of his partner's house, where the photo shoot for this report is taking place.

The recipe calls for one and a half kilos of wings and roasted carcasses in the oven.INMA FLORES

It was also difficult to find a factory that was responsible for the production, following the strict guidelines of the author of the recipe. The mysterious manufacturer, whose name they do not reveal and with whom they maintain a relationship from a distance, with a rigorous privacy contract involved, is located in Alicante. “We have been working with him for a year, especially correcting issues such as the grease in the can, the sediment or the color. “We wanted the best broth and we believe we have achieved it.” The ingredients contained in a can are the following: a kilo and a half of chicken (wings and carcasses) toasted in the oven, 160 grams of buti onion (the one with the brown skin) toasted without oil, and a little water. It does not contain oil, only the fat of the animal, nor does it contain salt, which is an advantage because, according to Vallugera, it gives much more freedom of use. “We wanted it to be like a blank canvas, that not only could be used to make rice, but that you could add butter or sesame oil to it, or reduce it for a sauce.”

The chicken broth can be reduced and turned into a sauce.INMA FLORES

The design of the 750 gram bottle was also a time-consuming process. They chose the pink color, as it matched the interior, that of a premium product. “It is not a broth for every day — its price is 18.50 euros. It is a luxury and what we sell is the time it takes to do it, toast the chicken and onion, cook it for several hours, let it rest, filter and degrease,” says Vallugera. They passed the first litmus test by far: the first 200 bottles of El Caldo, which she announced on social media, were sold out in a single day. “It was the way to prove that there was an audience, that there was interest. It has become the

Rolls Royce

of wines, although we know that it is not for every day nor is it a mass product.” They have the bright lights and the ambition to sell 12,000 cans in 2026. At the moment, they produce runs of 800 cans, they have started selling in Germany, Portugal and Norway, and they are proving the most important thing: "Whoever tries it, repeats."

In 2026 they plan to sell 12,000 bottles of broth.INMA FLORES

You can follow EL PAÍS Gastro

on

Instagram

and

X.