A very typical southern heartwarming dish. Said to come from a mix of cuisines in the south, French Cajun, African American and Native American. Cajun or creole though? Very similar indeed, but some differences are:
Cajun Jambalaya: Don´t use tomato and the dish will end up looking more brownish in colour. Puts all ingredients in pot at once and slow cooks everything with a lid on. Would originally add sausages or chicken – substituted in this recipe of course!
Creole Jambalaya: Uses tomato, dish will look more red or orange. Cooking method is layered; sweat onion and vegetables first, the meat substitute as well, then add tomato, liquid and rice, then cook with a lid on. Would originally often add seafood.
These are just some subtle differences between creole and Cajun rice, and maybe some people use a mix of these methods, there´s so many versions of how to make a Jambalaya, may it be creole or cajun, they are both tasty and great.
I chose to make a red Jambalaya and layer the cooking style, so I went for the creole version, but added some Cajun inspired spices and the meat substitute is more towards Cajun as well, so I guess we can call it a good southern mix !
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 200g ready made tofu strips with herbs, or just chopped tofu, or other vegan substitute (7 oz)
- 2.4 dl Jasmine rice (1 cup)
- 3.5 dl water (1 1/2 cup)
- 300g red ripe tomatoes, about 3 medium tomatoes (10.6 oz)
- 1 Green bell pepper
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 3 stalks of celery
- 3 stalks of spring onion
- 1 yellow onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- Salt & pepper to taste
Toppings (optional)
- Sliced spring onion
- Finely chopped yellow bell pepper
- Pecans
What you will need
- Cutting board and knife
- 1 pan + fitting lid
- 1 spoon to stir
- 1 fine mesh strainer
Instructions
- Wash all the vegetables, let sit to dry. Measure the rice, add to a fine mesh strainer and wash over the sink until clear water shows. Set aside and let drip water off.
- Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic. Add to the pan with the oil, salt, pepper and cayenne. Sweat on medium heat.
- Slice the bell peppers and celery, set aside. Finely chop the tomatoes, discarding the hard stem part. Add all to the pan. Bring to a simmer on medium for a few minutes.
- Finely chop the spring onion. Set aside.
- Add in the tofu, rice, water, dried vegetable stock, thyme and oregano. Mix well, be careful not to spill the ingredient out of the pan. Mixing well is important. Pat down all ingredients so everything is submerged under the liquid.
- Top with spring onions and put a fitting lid on. Let simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Do NOT at any time here lift the lid, the pressure and steam helps to cook the rice, and lifting the lid prevents that. When finished simmering turn off the heat, still do not lift the lid and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Fluff up the rice and serve with finely sliced spring onion, yellow bell pepper and pecans. This dish is also used in the Vegan Southern Bowl recipe, so if you have leftovers of this, used it in this !
Enjoy !
