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!!

Spicy Octopus

Octopus may not be for everyone but I do love it, especially when cooked this way. It's is a simple a simple spicy seafood dish I like to make. I put all the flavors that I love in this quick and easy stir fry dish and serve it with rice. It is always a hit at my house since we all love seafood...most Asains do! You can make this dish with squid and/or shrimp as well.

Ingredients: ( these are approximate only and adjust to your taste please)
1 to 1 1/2 lb baby octopus
4-6 Thai red peepers, depending on how hot you want
a hanful of cilantro
2 TBS lemon juice or lime juice (more or less depending on how tangy you like)
pinch of salt
2 TBS chili oil (see pic)
1 TBS oil
1 tsp sugar

Clean and blanch the octopus for a few min in boiling water. Drain.
Cilantro, chopped. Peppers halved lengthwise.
Chili oil, can be found in most Asain stores.
Heat up the 1 TBS oil and add the octopus and stir for about 1 min.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir fry for a few min and taste. Adjust to your taste.
Enjoy it with some steamed rice!!!

Manila Clams in Blackbean Sauce

I am a seafood lover...especially when they are live and fresh. I found these live Manila clams from my local Asian market today and bought about a pound and a half. The tip for picking good clams is to pick the ones that are completely closed. Also, they should open when they are cooked and the ones that don't open are bad and should not be eaten. Clams can be cooked many different ways but I like clam soup and stir fried clams in blackbean sauce. Here is my easy recipe:

1.5 lb Manila clams
1 TBS finely sliced ginger
1 TBS blackbean sauce, see pic
1/2 C Cooking wine
1 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS oil
1 tsp sugar
1/4-1/2 C water
pinch of salt
green onions for garnish (optional)

Heat up the oil in a wok and add the ginger. After 30 sec or so add the clams and the rest of the ingredients. Stir fry till the clams open. Can cover and steam to cook quicker as well.

Grilled Scallops with Basil Stuffing

This is one of my newly found favorite seafood recipes. I made this for iheartcookingclubs and I picked this Mark Bittman's recipe for this week's "Herb Garden" theme. We have been cooking with Mark Bittman for sometime now but I havn't had a chance to participate till now. This recipe is so delicious, quick, and easy. I wanted to find larger scallops but these worked out just fine for me. The sweetness of the scallops and the tasty herb stuffing goes so well together and I will be making this again and again. Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds or more large sea scallops

Mince the basil, garlic, salt and pepper together until very fine, almost a puree (you can do this in a food processor, but it really won't save you time or effort). Mix in a small bowl or cup with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

Make a deep horizontal slit in the side of each of the scallops, but don't cut all the way through. Fill each scallop with about ? teaspoon of the basil mixture; close. Pour the remaining oil onto a plate or pan and turn the scallops in it. Let sit while you preheat a gas grill or start a charcoal fire; it should be very hot before grilling, with the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.

Place the scallops on the grill (don't pour the remaining oil over them, as it will catch fire), and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, no more. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.


The basil stuffing.













Stuffed scallops.
















I did mine in a cast iron skillet on the stove instead of grilling to save time.










Browned and ready to eat scallops.














Delious!!! I was thinking how wonderful this would be if paired with the right wine.....

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is another popular Asian dish made with rice noodles. Even though it is really a Thai dish, it is seen in many menus of many Asian restaurants that are not even Thai because of it's popularity. It can be made with any meat or shrimp or even vegetarian. My favorite is made with shrimp. As far as the recipe, there are many floating on the Internet and they all vary according to personal taste. When I lived in Thailand, I usually got this from either a street vendor who cooked this in front of me or at food courts in malls where I could also watch how they make this. My version is simplified with what is available to me in my area and my taste. Here is the recipe:

1 package rice noodles, (I use fresh ones)
12 medium shrimps (peeled and deveined)
2 TBS oil
1 egg
1 1/2 TBS Thai chili paste (see picture below)
a handful of bean sprouts
2 TBS roasted peanuts, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 medium onion
1 Cup chopped fried tofu
1 TBS salted radish (optional)
green onions and lime wedges for garnish
fish sauce to taste

Have all the ingredients ready.












Soak the noodles in warm water.












Heat up the oil and stir fry onions and salted radish for a few minutes.









The chili paste I use. I like using this because it already has all the seasonings I need for pad Thai such as tamarind etc. You can also find Pad Thai paste in your Asian grocery stores and online.




Add shrimp and the chili paste and stir fry for a few min..









Scramble an egg on the side.











Add bean sprouts but leave some to add to your plate later as well..









Add the rice noodles and mix well.













Add sugar, fish sauce, green onions and peanuts. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.








Put it on a plate, add more raw bean sprouts and lime if you like and Enjoy!!!!

Thai Tom Yum Shrimp.....Hot and Sour Soup

This week's theme for iheatcookingclubs is Sustaining Soups and Stews. Having failed to participate the last two weeks in a row was making me feel guilty and so I made sure I participate this week and cooked up this delicious soup. Our featured chef Nigella Lawson calls this soup Hot and Sour Soup and it is hot and sour. This is a very popular Thai soup also called "Tom Yum" in Thai language. I am already very familiar with this soup since I lived in Thailand. I did look at Nigella Lawson's recipe but added a few things such as the galangal root (aka Blue Ginger, picture shown above left) and culantro leaves. Here is her recipe from food network.


Ingredients
6 1/2 cups chicken stock (I made shrimp stock and used that instead)
1 heaping tablespoon tom yam hot and sour paste
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped, optional (or use lime zest if it's easier)
1 stalk lemongrass, bottom, inner part only, roughly chopped
1 lime, juiced
4 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
2 to 3 small jalapenos or fresh red or green chilies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons, straw or button mushrooms, halved or quartered
1 pound (2-ounce) peeled, raw shrimp
5 (1-inch) pieces small scallions, sliced thin
1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped

Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat chicken stock, tom yam paste, lime leaves, lemon grass, lime juice, fish sauce, chilies, and sugar. Once it has come to a boil, add mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and scallions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes allowing the shrimp to cook but still be tender. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately. Place extra cilantro on the table for people to add more.



Tom yum paste can be found easily in any Asian grocery store or online. Also, can be made from scratch but I'll save that for another post. :)
Shrimp is often used but chicken, fish or mixed seafood is also delicious!
Making shrimp stock using the shrimp shells/ and or heads is easy. Just boil with some water and salt.
Herbs are very important to get the wonderful flavour of this soup. Culantro is also a good herb to add besides cilantro, green onions, and lime leaves. I remember having to go cut lemongrass and pick some lime leaves for my mom from our yard when she made this back home.
I used babybella mushrooms today but the best is fresh straw mushrooms which I cannot get easily here. The second choice is oyster mushrooms. Mix different mushrooms for more flavor and fun!
Serve this with Jasmine rice and other Asian dishes or as an appetizer before main course. Also can make it in a big hotpot family style!!

Shrimp With Asparagus and Mushrooms

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. I think it's a little bit pricey so I only buy it when it is on sale. I usually sit fry it a lil garlic butter with salt and pepper as a side dish. Today, I made it with shrimp for my family. This is similar to when my mom used to make it for me back home. It's easy yet yummy! The recipe is:
1 lb Asparagus
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 dozen medium peeled and deveined shrimps
1 TBS oil
1 TBS soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic

Asparagus. I beat the asparagus stems with the end of my chef knife to kinda break them so all flavors can go in more.
Shrimp.
Asparagus and mushrooms.
Heat oil with Garlic.
Add asparagus first.
Then add shrimp.
Then add Mushrooms. Cook for a few min till everything is done.
Serve with rice!