Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish with influence from the French and Spanish. Jambalaya is a contemporary version of paella; it is easy to prepare and a filling rice dish. Jambalaya experienced a popularity surge during the 1920’s and 1930’s because of it’s versatility to have a large variety of ingredients. The allowed variation is the main reason why I decided to come up with this different dish. Give this recipe a try, or curtail the ingredients to your liking, either way, I think you’ll love this simple yet versatile dish.
Difficulty (Scale from 1-10): 6
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
3/4 cup of basmati rice
1 1/2 cups of water
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic – minced
1 purple onion – cut into 8 wedges
2 yellow baby squash – diced
1 orange bell pepper – diced
1 (8 ounce) can fancy bamboo shoots – drained (5 ounces)
1/2 cup baby corn cobs – halved lengthwise
1/2 cup frozen peas – thawed
3 1/2 wt. ounces of small broccoli florets
3/4 cup of vegetable stock
1 cup of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons of Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of ground dried chipotle flakes
salt – to taste
black pepper – to taste
Preparation
Cook the rice in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked. Drain any excess water and put aside.
While rice is cooking, over medium-high heat add oil to a large skillet. Add the garlic and onion, then fry, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
Add the squash, bell pepper, bamboo shoots, corn, peas, and broccoli to the skillet and cook (about 2-3 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Stir in the vegetable stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Creole seasoning, and chipotle flakes.
Add salt and pepper to taste then cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until veggies are tender.
Stir basmati rice into the vegetable mixture, then cook for 3-4 minutes, mixing well until hot.
Transfer the jambalaya to dishes and serve immediately.
Enjoy your jambalaya!