Jambalaya Recipe straight from New Orleans! - Tammilee Tips (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good jambalaya? ›

Another signature of great jambalaya is the rice. There's a science to making sure it's just the right consistency: perfectly fluffy, not too wet, and not at all crispy. I've found the key is to bring your liquid, whether it's water or stock, to a complete boil to create a healthy amount of steam.

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.

Ratio is a standard 2:1 liquid to rice and I'm using a dutch oven with a tight fitting lid. I'm also using long-grain Mahatma white rice.

Creole jambalaya includes tomatoes—possibly a sub for paella's saffron (a once out-of-reach ingredient for southern Louisianans). Cajun jambalaya, found more frequently further outside of New Orleans, omits tomatoes, yielding distinctly cooked grains, garnished with chicken, sausage, and later, spring onions.

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.

The aromatic trinity of Cajun/Creole cooking: onion, celery, and bell peppers (capsic*ms), sautéed in andouille drippings with garlic, herbs and Cajun spices! Adding chicken and shrimp to this pot of tomato rice makes this one amazing meal in the comfort of your own homes!

Stir in the rice and simmer for 10 minutes, then turn the rice once, cover with a tight lid, turn down the heat and steam gently for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and add the prawns and sausage, turn the rice once, then replace the lid and leave to sit for 10 minutes.

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.

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.

Why is the rice in my jambalaya hard? ›

If the heat is too high, the water evaporates before the rice has a chance to fully cook. If you don't add enough water, the rice ends up dry and crunchy.

For tender grains of rice that easily separate, such as in a pilaf, use 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. You can also use another liquid like stock in this 2:1 ratio. For slightly chewier, fluffy white rice, use 1 1/2 cups of water for every cup of rice, or a 1.5:1 ratio.

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. The recipe I'm focusing on here is the former, with tomato.

Whereas the seasoning combination of onion, celery, bell pepper, cayenne pepper and thyme give jambalaya its Creole/Cajun flavors, paella has a Mediterranean flavor profile owing to lemon, paprika, saffron and olives.

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'.

Cajun vs.

Creole jambalaya, also known as red jambalaya, contains tomatoes. Cajun or brown jambalaya does not.

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).