Serves: 4 | Total Time: 40 min (Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min)
A recipe that makes the preparing of Jambalaya a breeze. Easy to pull together for dinner. Fried Rice Jambalaya takes the ingredients like day-old rice, onion, celery, bell peppers, Andouille, shrimp, chicken, creole seasoning and applies the fried-rice technique instead of simmering everything together. It is a great use for left-overs. Call it Cajun -Asian fusion.
Ingredients
- 2 cups / about 400 g cooked long-grain white rice, cold (day-old preferred)
- 8 oz (225 g) chorizo or Andouille sausage sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 12 oz (340 g) large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 1 1/2 cup roasted chicken cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup green, red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup celery stalks, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (16 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 tsp Creole seasoning, or to taste
- 2 Tbsp scallions, finely sliced
- 2 Tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Preparation
Cold Rice: Break any clumps in the cold rice and set aside.
Ingredient Preparation: Have everything ready. Chop the vegetables, slice the sausage, cut the chicken, peel the shrimp, drain the tomatoes. Set aside the green onions and parsley.
Cook the onion: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Add the chorizo or Andouille and cook for 2-3 minutes longer or until the sausage starts to brown around the edges. Set chorizo or Andouille aside and keep it warm.
Cook the Sauce: Add the the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the skillet with the onions. Add celery, bell pepper, garlic and cook until veggies are soft about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, the drained tomatoes, creole seasoning, salt and pepper, if needed. Cook until sauce has thickened a bit, about 5-8 minutes. Do not let it reduce too much.
Add chorizo or Andouille: Reduce the heat to low and return sausage to the sauce. Add the chicken, shrimps and rice. Cook until shrimps are opaque and all is warmed through, about 3-5 minutes.
Garnish with scallions and parsley. Serve with hot sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Rice: Cold, day-old rice is essential.
Sausage: Chorizo or Andouille gives the spicy taste that is a trademark of jambalaya. Kielbasa or any smoked sausage work well, albeit less hot.
Shrimp: Add them only at the end and pull the pan off the heat as soon as they turn opaque. Overcooked shrimp go rubbery.
Heat and salt: Creole seasoning and sausages, contain a fair amount of salt, adjust the seasoning and heat with hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne in the final steps.
