Jambalaya?

[SaintsManiac]

So I guess you live in Gonzales . And the one pictured above is way too wet! Now I do prefer New Orleans red jambalaya vs Gonzales/BR area brown jambalaya personally. I like shrimp in it so, IMO, shrimp & sausage are good in red but not brown. I don’t get into the white beans & jambalaya thing that happens up there though. Didn’t know anything about that until I went to LSU. DH prefers the brown, but that’s hard to find down here.

I used to prefer the red kind, but I didn't eat it very much when I lived in NOLA. I honestly could live without any type of it. I just find it boring.

 

[Wishing on a star]

bcla, canned tomatoes are processed with citric acid and calcium chloride so they don't disintegrate, unless you really cook them to death.
another option for diced fresh tomatoes is to saute/fry them in some olive or vegetable oil which will 'set' the diced tomato.'
And, always add the tomatoes towards the last.
Different food ingredients need more or less cooking time, so the order and timing of how you add the ingredients to the pot can make a difference.

I have never made Jambalya. I do make a great Gumbo, I do a Seafood Gumbo from a good, supposedly authentic recipe that I found online.
I do add tomato - except last time I FORGOT!!!
Rice, like sticky rice is always cooked separately. I form like a mold of rice with one of my measuring cups, and then it goes on top of the bowl of the Gumbo Soup.

I really like Tony Chachere's Spice and Herbs Cajun Seasoning. it has more flavor, not mostly just the heat.
It can be hard to find!

Kroger has a frozen Gulf Shrimp, also sold thawed by weight in the seafood counter, that is usually really good.

 

[NotUrsula]

So I guess you live in Gonzales . And the one pictured above is way too wet! Now I do prefer New Orleans red jambalaya vs Gonzales/BR area brown jambalaya personally. I like shrimp in it so, IMO, shrimp & sausage are good in red but not brown. I don’t get into the white beans & jambalaya thing that happens up there though. Didn’t know anything about that until I went to LSU. DH prefers the brown, but that’s hard to find down here.

When my DS was little, he used to call shrimp or crawfish jambalaya "red rice" and rice dressing "brown rice", but chicken-sausage jambalaya was "chicken rice" in his mind.

Chicken-sausage jambalaya is a favorite of mine for freezing, because it zaps up so well in the microwave. I'll make it as a quick weeknight dinner with leftover roast chicken and some andouille, then put several small containers of it away in the freezer to be heated for lunches.

 

[bcla]

bcla, canned tomatoes are processed with citric acid and calcium chloride so they don't disintegrate, unless you really cook them to death.
another option for diced fresh tomatoes is to saute/fry them in some olive or vegetable oil which will 'set' the diced tomato.'
And, always add the tomatoes towards the last.
Different food ingredients need more or less cooking time, so the order and timing of how you add the ingredients to the pot can make a difference.

I have never made Jambalya. I do make a great Gumbo, I do a Seafood Gumbo from a good, supposedly authentic recipe that I found online.
I do add tomato - except last time I FORGOT!!!
Rice, like sticky rice is always cooked separately. I form like a mold of rice with one of my measuring cups, and then it goes on top of the bowl of the Gumbo Soup.

I really like Tony Chachere's Spice and Herbs Cajun Seasoning. it has more flavor, not mostly just the heat.
It can be hard to find!

Kroger has a frozen Gulf Shrimp, also sold thawed by weight in the seafood counter, that is usually really good.

I use fresh tomatoes if I can find them. I did sautee them with the shrimp, but if I'm lazy I'll just toss them in the pot.

I have heard about Tony Chachere's, which I can only find online. Zatarain's is ubiquitous - probably because it's owned by McCormick. And we don't have any Kroger presence around here - not even QFC, Ralph's, or Fred Meyer's..

I thought the whole point was that it could be made from all sorts of random ingredients, including leftovers. Kind of reminds me of what my Chinese friends would describe as the original reason for fried rice. Certainly 100 years ago wasn't shrimp considered peasant food along with lobster? I remember some joke from the show Futurama.

Pee-yew! This fish is slightly too rotten to even make jambalaya.​

 

[NotUrsula]

I use fresh tomatoes if I can find them. I did sautee them with the shrimp, but if I'm lazy I'll just toss them in the pot.

I have heard about Tony Chachere's, which I can only find online. Zatarain's is ubiquitous - probably because it's owned by McCormick. And we don't have any Kroger presence around here - not even QFC, Ralph's, or Fred Meyer's..

I thought the whole point was that it could be made from all sorts of random ingredients, including leftovers. Kind of reminds me of what my Chinese friends would describe as the original reason for fried rice. Certainly 100 years ago wasn't shrimp considered peasant food along with lobster? I remember some joke from the show Futurama.

Pee-yew! This fish is slightly too rotten to even make jambalaya.​

Well ... you can make it from whatever random ingredients you like, but technique is what we're talking here. Like all Cajun food (as opposed to Creole food), Jambalaya is poverty food, and in particular, is one that is designed for times when you really need to stretch not much meat/veggies to feed a lot of people. Thus the mostly rice base, flavored by cooking it with the meat and veggies. Nitpicking the cilantro is a bit petty, I know, but cilantro is one of those things that kind of doesn't go on Cajun food. (Well, I don't put cilantro in anything, actually, because to me it tastes like soap.)

Regular Tony's (green box) is pretty easy to find in most of the US, but has a fairly high salt content. WalMart carries it in all stores AFAIK. The Spice and Herbs version is better, but harder to find, as is the red box version ("More Spice"). My own preference for all-purpose seasoning is Slap 'Ya Mama, which has less salt than Tony's green or red box blends. (They are both made in my home parish; two of the few profitable businesses in the entire area.)

 

[bcla]

Well ... you can make it from whatever random ingredients you like, but technique is what we're talking here. Like all Cajun food (as opposed to Creole food), Jambalaya is poverty food, and in particular, is one that is designed for times when you really need to stretch not much meat/veggies to feed a lot of people. Thus the mostly rice base, flavored by cooking it with the meat and veggies. Nitpicking the cilantro is a bit petty, I know, but cilantro is one of those things that kind of doesn't go on Cajun food. (Well, I don't put cilantro in anything, actually, because to me it tastes like soap.)

Regular Tony's (green box) is pretty easy to find in most of the US, but has a fairly high salt content. WalMart carries it in all stores AFAIK. The Spice and Herbs version is better, but harder to find, as is the red box version ("More Spice"). My own preference for all-purpose seasoning is Slap 'Ya Mama, which has less salt than Tony's green or red box blends. (They are both made in my home parish; two of the few profitable businesses in the entire area.)

I heard that quite a bit of Cajun food was co-opted by Creole cuisine.

I threw in cilantro because I like it, but I understand that some recipes call for curly parsley and maybe green onions. And I haven't seen that brand in Walmart stores around here. It may be more of a regional thing.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It's funny because I didn't start making my own Jambalaya until after we moved from Louisiana to SW Florida because we can't get it here and my son likes it. He lives in Miami, so I'll make a big pot every so often and he takes some home with him.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's funny because I didn't start making my own Jambalaya until after we moved from Louisiana to SW Florida because we can't get it here and my son likes it. He lives in Miami, so I'll make a big pot every so often and he takes some home with him.

If you're up in the St. Pete area there is a decent place in Pinellas Park, called Cajun Cafe on the Bayou. It's off Park Blvd at Long/Cross Bayou, just west of the flea market. Little hole in the wall, of course. (Their big marketing ploy is craft beer.)

 

[RangerPooh]

I make it a lot, but only with sausage, usually cajun or andoulle, I know it traditionally has shrimp, but I'm allergic so sausage it is!

eta: This is the recipe I loosely follow, I use lots of peppers and onions.
https://www.hillshirefarm.com/recipes/dinner/quick-jambalaya

I made this last night, thank you for the recipe. Plan to tweak it in the future, possibly by grilling the sausage before, and maybe less tomato sauce.

 

[North of Mouse]

Tomatoes never belonged in any of our gumbo or jambalaya dishes - taste is way too overpowering for us - no matter what else we add, a must is a good cajun smoked sausage. Also as NotUrsula said, one is wet, the other dry (ish). Is amazing to me how restaurants away from so. LA can butcher good cajun food. The pic from post #1 looks a bit like a shrimp creole - definitely not a jambalaya.

 

[low-key]

My Niece married this really cool guy from South Carolina, I really like him, he told me he was gonna make Gumbo, I said whats that, said its a southern thing, so I was all excited about it, and when I got to eat it, I found out Gumbo is chicken and rice

 

[NotUrsula]

My Niece married this really cool guy from South Carolina, I really like him, he told me he was gonna make Gumbo, I said whats that, said its a southern thing, so I was all excited about it, and when I got to eat it, I found out Gumbo is chicken and rice

Ah, but it's what you do with the chicken and rice that counts. (Also, a good chicken gumbo will contain a whole lot more than just chicken and rice. There should be at least 3 veggies included, plus some decent sausage, ham, or smoked pork to give it a bit of oomph.)

IME, just about everyone who grew up in Louisiana, can, if asked, produce a photo of their mama's gumbo. Everyone everywhere almost always has a favorite dish that Mama made; but for us, it's usually some kind of gumbo. (However, if your favorite kind is squirrel, the odds are that it was Daddy that made it, not Mama. Very few women I know will mess with cooking squirrels in any form. That's a guy thing these days.)

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, I am thinking that SC low country Chicken-and-Rice 'southern' Gumbo is just not true Cajun Gumbo.
The way I make my Gumbo takes a lot of work!!! I do the veggies in one large cooking skillet, the Seafood (well seasoned) in another.. so they each really reach their own full flavor. And they each get their own perfect amount of cooking time. Then I combine them in a soup pot with the stock, adding the Cajun spices. Of course, the sticky rice in it's own pot. So, with all the prep and cleanup, it is not an easy, just throw it all in the pot, soup/dish!

But, now this thread is making want to make a Gumbo!

 

[North of Mouse]

Also, and foremost - 'first you make a roux'!!
And, yes, mouth watering for a good gumbo - but, alas, it's too hot this week!! (I do make them in summer, but the change this week is too much for me)

 

[LSUmiss]

Also, and foremost - 'first you make a roux'!!
And, yes, mouth watering for a good gumbo - but, alas, it's too hot this week!! (I do make them in summer, but the change this week is too much for me)

I was going to say that! Imo, the roux is more important than anything else you put in it. Personally, I much prefer seafood gumbo. Great! Now I’m craving gumbo. Good news is I don’t have to make it!

Yes! The heat is ridiculous. But, I still eat gumbo in the heat indoors in A/c...just won’t make it.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I was going to say that! Imo, the roux is more important than anything else you put in it. Personally, I much prefer seafood gumbo. Great! Now I’m craving gumbo. Good news is I don’t have to make it!

Yes! The heat is ridiculous. But, I still eat gumbo in the heat indoors in A/c...just won’t make it.

The gumbo base from Blue Runner is so good in a pinch.

 

[LSUmiss]

Ah, but it's what you do with the chicken and rice that counts. (Also, a good chicken gumbo will contain a whole lot more than just chicken and rice. There should be at least 3 veggies included, plus some decent sausage, ham, or smoked pork to give it a bit of oomph.)

IME, just about everyone who grew up in Louisiana, can, if asked, produce a photo of their mama's gumbo. Everyone everywhere almost always has a favorite dish that Mama made; but for us, it's usually some kind of gumbo. (However, if your favorite kind is squirrel, the odds are that it was Daddy that made it, not Mama. Very few women I know will mess with cooking squirrels in any form. That's a guy thing these days.)

Lol! For me, it’s my mama’s red beans.

 

[LSUmiss]

The gumbo base from Blue Runner is so good in a pinch.

I've never tried it b/c I wasn’t sure. But, I also rarely cook any of it. There are so many inexpensive hole-in-the-wall places by me that have such good gumbo & other foods that it doesn’t seem worth the time, $, & effort to make it. But, if that’s good, I can try that b/c that would make it a quick weekday night meal.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I've never tried it b/c I wasn’t sure. But, I also rarely cook any of it. There are so many inexpensive hole-in-the-wall places by me that have such good gumbo & other foods that it doesn’t seem worth the time, $, & effort to make it. But, if that’s good, I can try that b/c that would make it a quick weekday night meal.

We use it because we don't want to make a huge batch all the time. I'm not a big gumbo person, but I love that base with shrimp in it.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

As for mixes, I love Tony Chachere's if you can find it. I like my jambalaya with chicken and sausage too.

My buddy in the Marines was from Cajun country and got me hooked on that stuff. It's great on everything! Walmart carries it.