It was a fresh approach to a standard staple and a user-friendly, flavorful recipe that earned Kitima Wongrak and Tre Zamora each a $1,000 scholarship.

The Kapiolani Community College culinary students used rice, the featured ingredient, to create a healthful paella recipe at the ninth annual Art of Healthy-licious Cooking contest on Saturday at the college, where they competed against three other student teams before an auditorium full of spectators. The contest was presented by Kahala Nui retirement community and the school.

“We didn’t want to do the usual, like steamed rice with Spam on top,” said Wongrak. “We wanted something different.”

They did just that. Their Ohana Healthy Paella — rice cooked in a wide, shallow paella pan — adds local flair to the classic Spanish dish. It calls for Chinese taro and edamame, in addition to traditional tomatoes, and is seasoned with ginger and garlic, then served with a pineapple fish sauce.

Zamora said that while the recipe is made for ease, one thing to watch is the level of heat.

“It’s all about controlling the temperature. If it gets too hot, it burns,” he said.

If the paella is cooking unevenly, he advised adding stock “here and there.”

The end result should be a layer of toasty rice at the bottom of the pan. In fact, the aroma of the rice toasting indicates that the dish is done.

Wongrak and Zamora agreed that any type of rice will work but noted that the amount of liquid may need adjusting — brown rice with more fiber, for instance, will require more liquid. “Just peek in the pan and add as needed,” said Wongrak.

The criteria of the judging were taste, nutritional value, use of rice and ease of preparation; teams were also judged on their oral presentations.

A People’s Choice award, decided by votes from the audience, went to Fe Marietta Tomizuka and Kevin Wu, who created a vegan rice burger that featured multigrain rice formed into patties, stacked with various roasted veggies and served with pesto and balsamic sauces. Tomizuka and Wu each received a $500 scholarship.

Two other teams created their own versions of jook (rice porridge).

OHANA HEALTHY PAELLA

By Kitima Wongrak and Tre Zamora

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 Chinese taro, medium dice
• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
• 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, medium dice
• 3 cups cherry tomato halves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup precooked edamame
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 3 cups vegetable stock or water
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, rough chopped
• >> Sauce:
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/2 cup pineapple, small dice
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Combine sauce ingredients; set aside.

In paella pan or large pan over medium, heat oil and saute taro to form crust.

Add ginger, garlic, mushroom and onion; saute until onion is translucent.

Add tomatoes. Lightly season with salt to release juices. Add edamame and season with pepper.

Add uncooked rice. Braise rice in tomato and veggetable juices 1 minute. Add vegetable stock and simmer 20 minutes. Once rice absorbs stock, check consistency.

Cook another 5 minutes, until you can smell the bottom of the rice toasting. Turn off heat.

Garnish with cilantro; serve with sauce. Serves 3.

Nutritional information unavailable.