My kitchen is a happiest when there’s something spicy going down in it. I actually don’t think there’s much that Hubby and I cook that doesn’t involve some sort of spice, whether it’s of the fragrant variety or the heated. This delicious recipe is full of both, and while it may look like quite the longest ingredients list don’t be put off by that as you can premix the dry spices ahead of cooking so it really isn’t as complicated as it might look, and the end result is well worth it.
A bit like the questionable authenticity of my Fish Creole, this jambalaya is more “Creole” than Cajun (it’s a tomato, or lack of, thing apparently!) and one of my favourite suppers that Hubby makes. That said… it’s never quite the same twice because Hubby just can’t leave well enough alone, bless. So this version is a foodie snapshot of how he makes it now. It’s not quite the way he made it six months ago, and no doubt it won’t be quite the way he makes it six months from now, but it is always delicious no matter how much he tinkers with it 🙂
You can make this with any combo of prawn, chicken, smoked sausage, ham hock or chorizo. Hubby tends to go with two, three max, one of which is inevitably chorizo – it just adds another layer of flavour that compliments the paprika in the dry spice mix. Fresh chorizo is okay but it has to be really good quality otherwise dried is better, just remember to peel off the tough outer layer of skin if you’re using dried chorizo before cooking with it.
Hubby eats this with potato salad… for seriously… He swears it’s a recognised accompaniment, and a quick Google seems to back him up, but that’s just one carb too many for me (something Hubby never thought he’d hear me say!). I like to give mine a good squeeze of lemon all over instead, the sourness is a lovely counter balance to the spiciness of the Jambalaya.
As to why I like this quite as much as I do? There’s lots of rice, which is always made of win in my book, the flavours are crazy intense, and it reheats really nicely the next day, which is just as well as there’s always tons of leftovers!
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 2 dried chorizo sausages, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 package smoked sausage, cut into bitet-sized pieces
- 1 can tomatoes
- 2 tbsps tomato ketchup
- 2 tsps dark soy
- 1 tsp fish sauce, more to taste
- a few dashes of Maggi liquid seasoning (optional)
- a drizzle of Ketjap manis (optional)
- 1 beef stock pot/cube dissolved in 2 pints boiling water
- additional water to top up
- 1.5 cups long-grain rice
- 1/2 tsp garlic granules
- 1/2 tsp onion granules
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (mild)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp heaped smoked sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt & pepper to season
- Plus oil to cook
- Lemon wedges and/or potato salad to serve
- Heat a drizzle of oil in the stewpot on a medium heat and cook the chorizo until lightly coloured. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Do not drain the oil from the stewpot.
- Add a bit more oil to the stewpot and bring back up to medium heat. Add the onions and peppers, lightly salt and stir to coat for about a minute. Turn the heat down and continue to cook gently for about ten minutes, stirring occassionally.
- Turn the heat up again and add the smoked sausage to the onion and pepper mix and cook for a few minutes before adding the garlic. Stir well before adding the tomatoes, dry spice mix, ketchup, soy and fish sauce. Stir again.
- Next, tip in the rice and mix well. Cover with the beef stock, stir, and add a bit more water to top up if need be. You don’t want it too wet, but it needs to have enough liquid to cook the rice.
- Bring everything to a boil before covering and reducing the heat until you’ve got a low simmer. Leave for 30-45 minutes, stirring after the first ten minutes. You may need to scrape the bottom to free any stuck bits of rice but this is ok, the caramelised bits of rice just add to the flavour mix.
- Stir every twenty minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is moist and tender. Serve hot.
