After getting hold of the Steam It book from the Books for Cooks store at Gertrude Street, I've made a line up of the recipes there that I wanted to try out. One of which is the Chicken and Seafood Jambalaya. At first glance, it looked like a paella dish but of course, there are multiple differences with the two. I've asked my foodie penpal and aunt, CA, on its differences. Her response as below:
"Jambalaya is slightly different from paella. Jambalaya is derived from paella using local ingredients of Louisiana. If you compare the ingredients between Jambalaya and paella, there is a slight difference. For example, jambalaya uses andouille sausage instead of chorizo and tomatoes instead of saffron. Paella uses more expensive ingredients, so we would cook it once a year. Jambalaya is more affordable and we could use it in our regular once every 2-3 month rotation. "
With that point taken, #1, the recipe does have smoked paprika which made it a somewhat Spanish dish, #2, herbs like thyme, oregano and parsley is still close to being Spanish, #3, use of tomatoes which I think is not used in Spanish paella and lastly #4, no SAFFRON. I would think that the safffron would make tons of difference as far as authenticity and flavor goes.
First of all, the process involved a fair amount of chopping galore. Red bell peppers, onions, garlic, celery among some. After browning the chicken thighs, all vegetables and spices will go in and allow to cook for a few good minutes until golden. Next the uncooked long grain rice has to be well coated with the oil, then chicken stock. When the rice was half-cooked, add in the mussels and chicken pieces. Once mussels popped open, it should be ready to serve.
A few reminders: Use a paellanera, though a frying pan would work well but always consider the amount of uncooked rice that will be used. Mine overflowed with rice, so I ended up scooping uncooked rice into a bowl to help cook the rice evenly. Be patient. I tried as hard as I can to be patient and wait for the rice to cook properly before getting a mouthful of unevenly cooked rice. Unless you're an expert in cooking rice over the stove, don't leave the pan unattended. Lastly, no crusty bottom, I think this point will be pretty obvious since I used a stainless steel frying pan to cook the jambalaya with.
Overall process really wasn't that tedious at all but flavor-wise is ok. The flavors from the vegetables, spices (especially the paprika) and tomatoes really worked well for a first timer. Will definitely make it again but with saffron and paellanera next time.
"Jambalaya is slightly different from paella. Jambalaya is derived from paella using local ingredients of Louisiana. If you compare the ingredients between Jambalaya and paella, there is a slight difference. For example, jambalaya uses andouille sausage instead of chorizo and tomatoes instead of saffron. Paella uses more expensive ingredients, so we would cook it once a year. Jambalaya is more affordable and we could use it in our regular once every 2-3 month rotation. "
With that point taken, #1, the recipe does have smoked paprika which made it a somewhat Spanish dish, #2, herbs like thyme, oregano and parsley is still close to being Spanish, #3, use of tomatoes which I think is not used in Spanish paella and lastly #4, no SAFFRON. I would think that the safffron would make tons of difference as far as authenticity and flavor goes.
First of all, the process involved a fair amount of chopping galore. Red bell peppers, onions, garlic, celery among some. After browning the chicken thighs, all vegetables and spices will go in and allow to cook for a few good minutes until golden. Next the uncooked long grain rice has to be well coated with the oil, then chicken stock. When the rice was half-cooked, add in the mussels and chicken pieces. Once mussels popped open, it should be ready to serve. A few reminders: Use a paellanera, though a frying pan would work well but always consider the amount of uncooked rice that will be used. Mine overflowed with rice, so I ended up scooping uncooked rice into a bowl to help cook the rice evenly. Be patient. I tried as hard as I can to be patient and wait for the rice to cook properly before getting a mouthful of unevenly cooked rice. Unless you're an expert in cooking rice over the stove, don't leave the pan unattended. Lastly, no crusty bottom, I think this point will be pretty obvious since I used a stainless steel frying pan to cook the jambalaya with.Overall process really wasn't that tedious at all but flavor-wise is ok. The flavors from the vegetables, spices (especially the paprika) and tomatoes really worked well for a first timer. Will definitely make it again but with saffron and paellanera next time.
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