Prawn Jambalaya

This recipe is is a filling meal designed to feed four. The ingredients are easy to find in the UK, even if not entirely traditional.

As with all my recipes I try to give a little bit of background to them. The story of Jambalaya is a good one, and certainly one which would entertain dinner guests.

The story goes that a traveler arrives late one evening at an Inn in New Orleans. After being admitted entrance to the Inn he asks the Innkeeper if he could get something to eat. The evening being as late as it was meant that the evening meals had been served. The Innkeeper instructed the cook to make something for the weary gent and was meant to have said "Jean! Balayez!". This in the local dialect supposedly meant "Jean! Sweep something together!" and so the cook did just that.

The result was a filling meal for the traveler made from a variety of meats, rice and vegetables. The traveler was so impressed he requested the dish elsewhere as "Jambalayaz" to many an unknowing cook.

There certainly is not any truth in the story, but definitely fits with the style of the dish. Below is the list of ingredients you will need.

240g Rice (Long grain)
400ml Chicken stock
3 slices bacon (cut into little strips)
1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
200g Prawns (cooked, peeled)
1tsp Cajun spice or chilli
1 Green Pepper
2 stick Celery
1 large Onion
2 Garlic cloves
2 Spring onions
15ml Vegetable oil
1tsp Tabasco / chilli pepper sauce (or as required)

You will need a large pot in order to hold all the ingredients in one go. I find a wok works just as well.

First you will need to add the oil to the pot and leave it until the oil is hot. Test this by adding a few slices of chopped onion. If it hisses then it is hot enough.

Continue to add the rest of the onions, green pepper, celery and garlic.

Sprinkle the chilli or spices over the vegetables. Be sure to wash your hands after touching the spices. Chilli in the eye can be very painful.

Leave for the vegetables for two minutes whilst they saute.

At this point begin the process of adding small amounts of stock with small amounts of rice.
Stir well each time until all the rice and stock is in the pot.

Allow the mixture to settle and add the tomatoes and the bacon strips. At this point you can stir in the Tabasco or chilli pepper sauce to your own taste.

Leave the pot to simmer / bubble gently until cooked. This will be approximately twenty to thirty minutes.

I find that this is best served on its own. It is a meal which is rustic in its appearance, so I prefer to serve it in bowls.

Learn more about this author, James Maycock.
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