Food Safari's jambalaya

A classic Creole dish, jambalaya from New Orleans is a true one-pot wonder blending French, African, Spanish and American influences. Make sure you use parboiled or "converted" rice when making this recipe. Serve with cornbread muffins for a hearty main meal.

• serves

  6–8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 2 tsp crushed garlic (or garlic powder)
• 500 g andouille or chorizo sausage, diced 
• 1 kg chicken breast fillets, diced
• 6–8 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 kg parboiled rice
• 750 ml (3 cups) chicken stock
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Mix the spices with the dried herbs. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, celery and capsicum. Fry for 5–6 minutes over medium heat until just soft, then add the garlic and 2 tsp of the spices and herbs. Stir well.

Add the sausage, chicken, tomatoes, tomato paste, rice, stock, salt and the remaining spices and herbs. Mix well and bring to the boil. Simmerfor 3–5 minutes then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Keep stirring to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add a little water if needed. Serve with cornbread muffins.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.