Jambalaya!

So first off I know I take shit pictures and my lighting and angles are all off.. 

So I read this guide: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/beginners-guide-to-food-photography.html

Loosely mind you to take some inspiration so I will be trying to get better at it in the near future so bear with me! :)

So now I made Jambalaya! From the deep south!

So first the Cajun spice, I kinda winged it here because I hadn't made it before and the recipes I can find vary so much.. Basically use what you think is tasty, mine came out wonderful but will probably add more cayenne next time, even though I don't know the exact measurements...

But roughly:

3 teaspoons of salt

3 teaspoons of garlic powder

4 teaspoons of smoked paprika

2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons of onion powder

2 teaspoons of cayenne

2 teaspoons of oregano

2 teaspoons of thyme

1 teaspoon of chili flake

2 bay leaves.

Then you need:

2 Chicken fillets

2 Chorizos or andouille sausages (About 200 grams total)

White rice for 4 people

Water or chicken stock

Some veggies:

Onions, garlic, bell peppers, celery.. Any veggies you like really but these seem to be the "standard"

Also, when it comes to the protein andouille sausage and shrimp seem to be quite common as well or beef or pork... So many varieties!

But now, let's get cookin'!

First cook your chicken (preferably with your sausage to get that flavor going) I also dusted my chicken a little with the Cajun seasoning...

Chop up your veggies, I opted for green bell pepper and celery only..

Plopp, chicken and sausage into a pan, add uncooked rice, spices and water/stock to cover. Bring to a boil and then bring the heat down and let it simmer for about 15 minutes under a lid, stirring occasionally.

While it is simmering we can cook the veggies a bit... Throw in some water with the veggies to deglaze the pan from any goodness the sausages and chicken left behind. 

Mmmm the smell!

After about 15 minutes, it should look something like this.

Now taste the rice, if its feeling almost cooked and not running dry add the veggies otherwise add some more water and let simmer for some more time.

Veggies added!

Now stir and let sit for another few minutes just to get the flavors through and the rice fully cooked. You have to be the boss here when it is cooked for you! Taste is important!

When done cooking let rest for a few minutes and then serve!

If you do a spicy version off this I think some creme fraiche or sour cream would go wonderful with it!

Will be making this again and again I feel, even though it was a bit to spicy for Sara it tickled me in all the right places.

Only changes I will make next time is frying so yellow onion with the veggies and adding a bit more cayenne I think, really easy recipe and this made 4 portions :)

Will be going to India on Sunday and I don't know how my internet availability will be over there so I might not blog for two weeks.. Or I will blog more! Hopefully lots of good stuff to eat down there that I have never tried before, and hopefully I won't get sick and die from it. hö-hö-hö.. seriously though, bringing so much medicine for my tummy!

//Stay full my friends!