Step by Step Jambalaya Recipe

Jambalaya! What is Jambalaya? Where is it from? How many types of Jambalaya are out there? Well according to Wiki , "Creole jambalaya originates from the French Quarter of New Orleans, in the original European sector. It was an attempt by the Spanish to make paella in the New World, where saffron was not readily available due to import costs. Tomatoes became the substitute for saffron. As time went on, French influence became strong in New Orleans, and spices from the Caribbean changed this New World paella into a unique dish. In modern Louisiana, the dish has evolved along a variety of different lines. Creole jambalaya, or red Jambalaya as it is called by Cajuns, is found primarily in and around New Orleans, where it is simply known as 'Jambalaya'. Creole Jambalaya includes tomatoes, whereas Cajun jambalaya does not."

There is always more than one way to make a dish and YES there are a millions ways different people make their Jambalaya. After a few times of trial and error and some experimenting with different Jambalaya recipes, I came up with the one that is best for my taste and my family's. You can use my recipe as a guide and adjust it to your taste and what you have available in your kitchen! There is no rules, but just have fun and enjoy cooking this flavorful filling dish!

Here is how I make my Jambalaya:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled and cut into 1 inch pieces
(Note: I sometimes boil a whole chicken, use both the broth and the meat)
1 pound peeled and divined shrimp, raw
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup bell pepper, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, (more or less depending on your taste)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken broth (or water)

Optional: If you want a red (tomato based) Creole Jambalaya, throw in a can of small tomato sauce or Rotel or Italian crushed tomatoes, etc. Use what you have in your pantry!



The Holy Trinity (Onion, bell peppers, and celery)















Heat the oil on medium heat and sautee the garlic and bay leaf for about a minute till fragrant.















Add the Holy Trinity, salt, and Caynne pepper.














Cook till all the veggies are almost tender for about 5-6 minutes.















Add the rice.














Mix well so that the rice will cook without sticking and lumping together.















Add the Cajun seasoning powder, thyme, black pepper.















Add the broth and the rest of the seasoning sauces (hot sauce etc). Stir once. cover and let it simmer over low heat for about 20-25 minutes.















Add the chicken, saussage, and raw shrimp during the last 10 minute of cooking.















Mix and taste. Rice should be fully cooked, but not mushy or very wet. You can now enjoy Jambalaya!!

Creamy Mushroom Risotto...The Daring Cooks March 2010 Challenge

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of Melbournefoodgeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge daring cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian master chef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf. This is my first Daring Cooks challenge and I just got it done! I am very excited and also pleased with the outcome. One of the requirements for the challenge is to make homemade stock which is my previous post. I made the homemade stock ahead and so it was quit easy to make the risotto last night. I was trying to decide between lemon and mushroom risotto but my family requested mushroom. So here it it:

Ingredients:
For Risotto Base:

4 TBS Olive Oil
1 small Onion, diced
1 3/4 Cups Risotto Rice
4 TBS White Wine
4 Cups Homemade Stock, I ended up using more than 4 cups, so please adjust till the rice is tender.

For the mushroom Flavor:

1 Cup sliced Baby Bella and Shitake Mushrooms
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 TBS butter
1 tsp minced Garlic
salt to taste

Have your ingredients ready to go.
I used this kind of rice from Walmart. Cost $7.00.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add the onions and fry for a few min to flavor the oil.
Add rice and stir a few min to coat each grain with oil and toast slightly. Add wine and let it evaporate.
Add enough homemade stock to cover the rice (~1 in).
Cook on Medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Repeat this step till rice is tender but make sure to leave about 1/2 Cup stock aside for the final step. This is the base.
Have your mushrooms ready. I sauteed mine in garlic and butter before adding to base.
Add the mushrooms.
Add Parmesan cheese. Stir and add the final 1/2 Cup stock. Salt to your taste. Leave it a lil runny since it will thicken.
> Risotto is ready!
I served mine with Blackened Fish. DELICIOUS!!!

FRIED RICE with King Crab Meat

Since I am Asian, a lot of my non-Asian friends often ask " How do you make fried rice?". Fried rice to me is something that I make when I don't have a lot of stuff and when I feel some what lazy because it's so easy to make. Fried rice recipes vary depending on personal preference and/or what you have at home. The essential ingredients are oil, rice, and soy sauce. The rest is up to your taste and or what is readily available to you. Throw in any vegetable and/or meat you like. Make it vegetarian if you don't like meat. My favorite is seafood fried rice. I had some frozen King crab legs in my freezer that weren't enough to make a meal for my family unless I got creative, so I decided to make fried rice with the crab meat.


Lump King Crab Meat



Garlic in a lil oil and butter ( I love butter in my rice)


Add vegetables.


Add crab meat.


Add eggs.


Cook the eggs on one side of your pan/wok.


Add rice (cooked and cool). Add soy sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.


Sprinkle green onions.


Mix well but be careful not to break up the carb meat too much.


Start eating!