Juicy Creole-Style Red Jambalaya Recipe - Recipes.net (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good jambalaya? ›

Use the Right Ingredients: Authentic jambalaya typically includes ingredients like andouille sausage, chicken, shrimp, bell peppers, onions, celery, and tomatoes. Use these traditional ingredients for the best flavor. Season Liberally: Cajun and Creole seasoning blends are essential for flavoring jambalaya.

Two main categories of jambalaya exist: Creole (or red) jambalaya, which is associated with the city of New Orleans and contains tomato, and Cajun (or brown) jambalaya, which contains no tomato and is more common in other parts of Louisiana.

A cajun jambalaya, I'm reliably informed, should be somewhat dry, even slightly browned on the bottom, which rules out the soupier, wetter texture of those creole versions using tomatoes (Oliver advises cooks to aim for a “porridgey” consistency).

One of the biggest complaints when making jambalaya is that the rice ends up mushy. And there's two main culprits of this – choosing the wrong type of rice and over-stirring. For this recipe, you want long-grain white rice, like basmati or jasmine. Don't use short-grain rice.

Spices and seasonings: This chicken and sausage jambalaya is flavored with Cajun seasoning, fresh garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and file powder. Vegetables: You'll need an onion, green bell peppers, and celery. Rice: Opt for plain white rice for this jambalaya recipe.

The main difference between Creole and Cajun seasoning blends comes down to the ingredients: Cajun seasoning features an array of ground peppers—black, cayenne, and white—while Creole seasoning is more herbal, with recipes often containing oregano, thyme, rosemary, and paprika.

Cajuns don't use tomatoes in gumbo or jambalaya. Creoles do use it.

At the heart of jambalaya is the “holy trinity,” the mixture of celery, bell pepper, and onion that serves as the base of a lot of New Orleans cuisine, as well as many French dishes.

Too much stirring can cause mushy rice as it releases starch. Don't be tempted to stir too much. Also, overcooking rice can lead to mushy rice. You want the water to be mostly absorbed, then remove it from the heat and let it steam to make the perfectly sauced rice.

Most jambalaya recipes don't call for thickeners like roux or okra, though some people use cornstarch as a thickener if the dish needs it. Most of all, the role of rice distinguishes gumbo and jambalaya. You serve rice in gumbo, but the rice cooks in a separate pot.

What are the two types of jambalaya? ›

A hearty blend of rice, meats, vegetables, and lots of seasoning, jambalaya is a cold-weather comfort food that is sure to please everyone. There are two types of jambalaya: Cajun and Creole.

Add in the uncooked rice, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, Cajun/Creole seasoning, thyme, cayenne and bay leaf. Give everything a good stir. Cover and cook. Then cook for 25-30 minutes, being sure to stir the mixture every 5 minutes or so (to prevent burning) until the rice is nearly tender.

For jambalaya, you want a 1:1:1 ratio for rice, meat and sausage. 1:1:1 ratio for rice, meat and sausage. Working with a half-cup of rice? Half pound of meat, half pound of sausage.

"The answers were '3 cups rice to a pound of meat,' or 'in this size pot you can feed 25 people. ' It was always a ratio. I wanted to learn how to cook (jambalaya), so I started to keep track of those."

The "holy trinity" in Cajun cuisine and Louisiana Creole cuisine is the base for several dishes in the regional cuisines of Louisiana and consists of onions, bell peppers and celery. The preparation of Cajun/Creole dishes such as crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and jambalaya all start from this base.

Everything is brought to the boil before being covered and left to simmer until all the stock has been absorbed by the rice. The dish is left with a red hue because of the tomatoes, and this is why Creole jambalaya is sometimes called 'red jambalaya'.