An Illustrated Guide to Jambalaya

Just found a new project. Thanks Noah.

Can I call it Jambalaya if I add some kidney beans or black beans to it? I love beans in these types of dishes. I think I may cook up a batch on Friday since I have the day off.

Well, I know what I am having for dinner, midnight snack and Breakfast (With Fried Egg) this week. :-D Thanks for sharing.

That is pretty much how I do mine except I make my roux a lot darker. I usually go for about 45 minutes to get like a mahogany color.

BTW... for those of you who are apprehensive to do a roux... Emeril offered the best explanation ever... The perfect amount of time to stir a roux is the time it takes to drink two adult beverages. Plus if you burn the roux you get to have two more adult beverages!!!

Brothers, pay close attention to whats been going on here with this thread. It's one of the all timers since I've been here. This is down home, American, cooking wisdom.

OMG!! - I've been too busy and overlooked this thread. Nice job Noah - jambalaya is also on my hit list.

Great looking instructions and final product!

My wife got me hooked on Okra.
Noah can you add okra to this dish as well?
Thanks for posting this, this is a must do when cooler weather arrives this fall.

wowo thank for a great illustrated receipe

Yelonutz sent me some Andouille a while back that was really good.

I'll see if I can dig up my gumbo recipe and we can collaborate!

Thanks for great walk me though everything, the heads up on the Okra and I will probably do the frying of the Okra also.

What a great "how-to" picture tutorial! Like many other Jambalya-neophytes, I'll be making a pot soon! Thanks a heap! :biggrin:
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nmayeux said:

TK, your still alive!!! I haven't heard from you in a while... Give her a try, and let me know what you think. If you will PM me, I will try to send you some fresh andouille that a local butcher has perfected.

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thanks for the offer. my neighbor is from New Orleans and has some good local resources. I will certainly give this a run

nmayeux said:

Just updated a few things, but wondering what some of you do different.

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Noah- great tutorial

FWIW, I grew up with a little different version in AL. Not sure where my Mom got hers from. She actually did w/o stock and just sautéed some bacon to start with. Then added onion and bell pepper (no celery), garlic, the rice/spices, and then tomatoes and water. I suspect that's a bit more authentic in the tradition of "making do."

I've made this approach my own over the years. Sometimes, I'll do the bacon to start with. But I've never made a roux for jambalaya. And I definitely use stock (chicken base is the house thing- Knorr's roasted from RD). For spices, mine typically includes the bay leaves plus roughly equal parts dried oregano and thyme (1-2 T for recipe w/ 2C rice). For a while, I put chilis/chile powder/red pepper in for flavor/spice. Don't have a set method there, but I think I've put a bit of ground ancho/chipotle in lately.

I also saw Prudhomme many years ago- his concession to his cardiologist at that point was to cut back the fat and saute the ingredients long enough to add color/flavor. Probably the same idea as doing a roux. With some of the fattier smoked sausages, I've browned them in the pan or oven ahead of time to add that caramelization.

Meat-wise, smoked sausage is a given. If you haven't been to Patak in Austell, it's smoked meat heaven. I like their andouille a lot. Usually, any chicken goes in raw and stews with the rice. Shrimp go in at the end to try to avoid getting them rubbery.

I've also gone weenie- I get it all going in the dutch oven on the stove, then throw on the lid and finish in the oven for 25 min or so. For whatever reason, I don't mind crust in paella, but I avoid it in my jambalaya.

Waiting an hour for mine to get done....plus tomatoes....

I started by browning my chicken with skin in the pot, then browned up the cubed ham and sliced smoked sausage/andouille sausage
I took out some of the fats left and used the rest to soften up the veggies

I like to fry my sausage and possibly some bacon and use the fat left behind to make the roux.