Rice can be intimidating. It has a reputation for burning. It can come out flavorless. Who knows how much water to put in? My mom is notoriously not good at rice, and I used to take after her. My dad, however, is from Ghana and considers himself to be something of a rice expert. He gave me three important rules to cooking rice. 

  1. Just about twice as much water as rice. Officially, let's say 1.75x. This is the most important rule my dad gave me. Other than risotto which is a particularly thirsty grain, I haven't met a rice that doesn't come out great with this ratio. 
  2. You can always add water, but you can't take it out. Again the rice-water ratio is a great guide but sometimes adding tomatoes or coconut milk to your rice and it throws off the ratio. In that case, add less water than you think you need. That way if you see your rice coming up a little dry, you can add more water and reach the perfect texture. 
  3. Thick pot or low boil, stir. This is to guard against burning. 

But enough about rice. We are not here for just rice. We are here for jambalaya. 

I have a healthy disrespect for people who get over-specific with foods that were popularized by lower-class folks. (You can read more about the history of jambalaya here. ) It's a dish which originally featured whatever ingredients were around. So when I was in the grocery store shopping for this dish, I passed right over the andouille sausage, even though most recipes call for it (as does mine), simply because it was too expensive and chorizo was on sale. Sue me!

ingredients

FEEDS 6

  • 10 oz Andouille sausage, sliced
  • 1 lb dark meat chicken, diced into fork-sized pieces
  • [People put shrimp in this but I don't eat shrimp and won't pretend to know I know how to cook it so I left it out of this recipe. Emeril says 12 medium shrimp will do]
  • 2 cups of a rice 
    • I like jasmine rice, but short grain rice is traditional
  • 3 cups of chicken (no shame in using a bouillon cube)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 2 banana peppers
  • 1 cup canned, diced tomatos
  • 1 tbsp of garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp of oregano
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes (some like it hot)
  • 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • seasoned salt to taste

COOK TIME

1 HOUR

  • 20 minutes preparation
  • 40 minutes cooking

hardware

  • cutting board & knife
  • large, thick pot
  • heavy spoon

method

  1. All of the meat in the pot at once. Let it brown for about 10 minutes on medium-heat. We are not looking to cook the meat, just brown it to add flavor. 
  2. When the meat has begun to brown, add all of the veggies. The meat might have released enough oil for you to skip this. If not, add a tbsp or two of olive oil and stir. Season vegetables and meat to taste with seasoning salt. It's important to season the food throughout the cooking of a dish. Simmer on medium for 5 minutes. 
  3. Kick the stove back up to medium-high. Add the rice, bay leaf, oregano, and chili flakes and stir. 
  4. Add tomatoes. Then, add about 80% of the stock and the Worcestershire and bring the rice up to a boil. Depending on the salinity of your broth you might have to add a teaspoon or two of season salt. It should have the salinity as a bowl of soup.
  5. Reduce heat to medium and boil until all of the liquid is absorbed. 
  6. Taste your jambalaya? Rice a little tough? Add a half-cup of water and let it boil more. Not enough salt or spice? You know what to do.
  7. Pretend like your are eating creole food with Beyoncé. 


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