Healthy Jambalaya Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good jambalaya? ›

Black pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and hot sauce are the backbone of a great jambalaya. You can also add in some tomato paste or tomato powder, which creates a little sweetness.

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.

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.

Jambalaya (/ˌdʒæmbəˈlaɪə/ JAM-bə-LY-ə, /ˌdʒʌm-/ JUM-) is a savory rice dish of mixed origins that developed in the U.S. state of Louisiana apparently with African, Spanish, and French influences, consisting mainly of meat or seafood (or both), and vegetables mixed with rice and spices.

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.

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.

If you haven't got any andouille at home, you will want to substitute the ingredient with another sharply flavoured smoked sausage. Chorizo Chorizo is a good substitute for andouille's distinctly smoky flavour. Polish kielbasa is another substitute that you can use.

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).

Gumbo is really a soup or stew that's often served over a little rice, while jambalaya is made with the rice cooked into the dish, making the grain an integral part of it. In gumbo, there should be more liquid than rice, while jambalaya should not be liquid-y or mushy. "Jambalaya is a way to cook rice.

Who puts tomatoes in jambalaya? ›

For the protein, chicken, andouille (or other pork sausages), and shrimp or crawfish are all fair game. Creole jambalaya includes tomatoes—possibly a sub for paella's saffron (a once out-of-reach ingredient for southern Louisianans).

Add the raw shrimp on top of the jambalaya and drizzle the butter over the top. This opens in a new window. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through and pink. Garnish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The word jambalaya was not used in reference to a mixture of meats and fish until the early 1800s when it was included in a book of poetry published in Provence. An American publication used the word ("JAM BOLAYA") in the latter part of that century. Since 1968, when then Louisiana Governor John J.

The one ingredient that seems to be fairly constant in all Jambalaya preparations though is some kind of sausage, and preferably a smoked one. Andouille, a spicy smoked sausage native to Louisiana, is the traditional choice.

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.

A box of Zatarain's jambalaya mix is combined with andouille sausage, onion, and a can of diced tomatoes with green chile peppers for fantastic results. Yummy Foods!

Popular Cajun seasonings like Tony Chachere's and Slap Ya Mama get heat from red pepper, with black pepper, salt, and garlic powder in the mix to enhance the flavor of food. Creole seasoning rounds out spicy red pepper with herbs like thyme, oregano, basil, and bay leaf.