Cajun cooking

Yes, making Jambalaya again tonight. And as promised, I kept an eye on the ingredients:
Cooks in the microwave.

3 1/2 Cups long grain rice
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste (optional)
1 small green bell pepper
1 small onion
1 tsp Paprika (or to taste)
1 tsp Cayenne or Chili (again, to taste)
3 Cloves Garlic
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (I prefer corn oil, but use what you have)

750 grams chicken breasts
3 Chorizo Sausages
20 shrimp, peeled (for those who don't like seafood, substitute 100 grams of diced ham)


Steam the chicken and shrimp until done. When cooled, cut into bite sized chunks.

Slice the chorizo into bite sized bits, and pan fry it in a little bit of vegetable oil.

Finely dice both the pepper and the onion. Mince the garlic

In a large glass bowl, put the rice with 4 cups of HOT water,tomato paste,garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne (or chili) and vegetable oil. Stir. Add the chicken, and shrimp, and empty the frying pan of chorizo into the bowl including the seasoned oil now in the bottom of the pan.

Keep about 1 cup of hot water on the side, as you might need extra depending in the power of your microwave. To tell if you need more, go by this scale. You should have 4cms (a little over an inch) of water on the top when you start. It should go down 1 cm with every 6 minute increment. If too much goes, add extra HOT water to the mixture.

Cover and cook for 25 minutes on high, stirring occasionally (I did 6, 6, 6, and then 7). Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. Yum!

Now the reason I do this in the microwave is that the flavors infuse better, and there is better temperature control, and less water loss. It can be done on the stove top, but you would end up standing over it the entire time. On stove top, same recipe, with a bit more water.

You can cut this recipe in half for on one meal, but it takes just as long to cook up a double batch as it does a single, and it tastes so much better the next day after the flavors have had time to blend.
 


Now the reason I do this in the microwave is that the flavors infuse better, and there is better  temperature control, and less water loss. It can be done on the stove top, but you would end up  standing over it the entire time. On stove top, same recipe, with a bit more water.

You can cut this recipe in half for on one meal, but it takes just as long to cook up a double batch  as it does a single, and it tastes so much better the next day after the flavors have had time to  blend.
 
Fair warning.. it does have a bite.