Culture and Art through your Gut

Passport & Plate - Shrimp Jambalaya

Mexico | Friday, March 7, 2014 | 2 photos

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion
2 cups diced bell pepper, preferably red or yellow
½ cup chopped ham or smoked chorizo (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups white rice ( I usually use 1 cup short grain and 1 cup long grain rice)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, several sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato (drained canned is fine)
4 cups shrimp or vegetable stock (to make your own, see Shrimp Stock or Vegetable Stock) or water
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and cut into pieces if very large
½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, sliced scallion, celery or a combination for garnish
Few dashes of hot sauce (optional)

 

How to prepare this recipe
Put the olive oil in a medium to large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and ham if you're using it; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and everything begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice, garlic, cayenne, and thyme and stir for about a minute. Add the tomato and cook, stirring, until the tomato begins to break up, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock and hot sauce(again, this is optional). Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the liquid just about absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir with a fork. Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, then cover and let rest for at least 10 and up to 20 minutes. Garnish as you like and serve.

My other Variation:
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
This is called brown jambalaya: Omit the ham, tomatoes, and shrimp. Use chicken stock or water and increase the quantity to 6 cups. In Step 1, add 8 ounces coarsely chopped sausage (preferably spicy) to the vegetables, breaking it up into chunks as it cooks. When everything starts to sizzle, turn the heat down a bit, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crisp and the onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in 2 cups roughly chopped boneless, skinless chicken (white or dark meat, or a combo). When it starts to cook, add the stock and proceed with the recipe, cooking for about 30 minutes before setting aside to rest.

 

The story behind this recipe
I chose this dish because it gave me one of my fondest memories. I prepared this dish back when I was working in Dubai in 2012. It was my birthday and I wanted to present a dish to my friends that they would enjoy. I had many friends but some of them are not friendly with each other, some are barely civil to each other and would be attending my birthday party out of love for me. They know that I could cook up a storm in a short period of time. So when the time of the beach party came, everything was all ready and even I was ready for them not to talk and just ignore each other’s’ existence. The food however was a big hit (for some reason or another) and it became a talking point that time. Of course, of all people, I was the most surprised of them all. It was a cold winter night and they were all laughing and talking, and getting cozy in the warmth of the bonfire, and had their fair share of good food and good company. Now, whenever I cook this, it brings me back to that moment by the beach with my different sorts of friends bonding together for the first time… aw, there I go mushy again…