Jambalaya

[Brittany]

Made my first pot of Jambalaya in a cast iron dutch oven. After watching the All American Festival show on food network. Didn`t like the way the rice cooked what type of rice do you use for this dish.

I thought the rest was good, but the rice didn`t puff up and split like they talked about.

Charlie

[Mayhaw Man]

I stand firmly by Konriko Long Grain White Rice. Generally, in Louisiana, you will find most people buying and cooking long grain for most things. There is quite a lot of hybrid production these days-various kinds of Asian rice that was initially grown for the Asian Market and has become popular here as well. Texmati, Jasmine, short grained stuff, lots of other kinds-but long grain is the kitchen staple. Easy to cook, tastes great. What more could you ask of a grain?

[FistFullaRoux]

When I cook anything with rice, I usually use Mahatma long grain rice. It's my standard. There are so many different versions, using different ingredients - including rice - that the only real specific part of the recipe is the liquid to rice ratio. Whichever rice you use, as long as it has the right amout of liquid, it'll be OK.

Specifically to your problem, you may have simply used a rice that doesn't split. Or you can try using a bit more liquid and cooking longer. Maybe the seal of the lid on the dutch oven isn't so great, and you lost some through evaporation. You can either add 1/4 cup more liquid, or cover the pot with aluminum foil, the put the lid on top of that for a better seal.

[Brittany]

When I cook anything with rice, I usually use Mahatma long grain rice. It's my standard. There are so many different versions, using different ingredients - including rice - that the only real specific part of the recipe is the liquid to rice ratio. Whichever rice you use, as long as it has the right amout of liquid, it'll be OK.

Specifically to your problem, you may have simply used a rice that doesn't split. Or you can try using a bit more liquid and cooking longer. Maybe the seal of the lid on the dutch oven isn't so great, and you lost some through evaporation. You can either add 1/4 cup more liquid, or cover the pot with aluminum foil, the put the lid on top of that for a better seal.

Fistfullaroux

I think that it is Calrose rice, What liquid, rice, ratio do you like.

Charlie

[Brittany]

When I cook anything with rice, I usually use Mahatma long grain rice. It's my standard. There are so many different versions, using different ingredients - including rice - that the only real specific part of the recipe is the liquid to rice ratio. Whichever rice you use, as long as it has the right amout of liquid, it'll be OK.

Specifically to your problem, you may have simply used a rice that doesn't split. Or you can try using a bit more liquid and cooking longer. Maybe the seal of the lid on the dutch oven isn't so great, and you lost some through evaporation. You can either add 1/4 cup more liquid, or cover the pot with aluminum foil, the put the lid on top of that for a better seal.

Fistfullaroux

I think that it is Calrose rice, What liquid, rice, ratio do you like.

Charlie

[Dana]

I use a locally (SE TX) grown rice called Doguets. I'm not sure how widely distributed it is but, there are so many flavors going on in jambalya that any rice will probably work. The standard ratio is 2 parts water to 1 part rice. I think overcooking is the key to getting it to split. Don't give up on it yet!! Try again!!

[hwilson41]

Brittany;

Are you using any ingredients (other than the rice) that would absorb moisture? When I make it, I usually include some hot cajun sausage, and find that I need more liquid (I use homemade chicken stock) than the standard 2:1 ratio. Somewhere around 2.5:1 seems to work pretty well. And like Dana and others said, don't give up. Just fiddle with it a little til you get it right. I've even used brown rice, and that works well too.

THW

[HKDave]

I also use a cast iron deep skillet, and use long grain white rice. Everyone says 2 parts stock to 1 part rice, with a can of tomatoes in there adding more liquid. But I usually find I have to add a cup or so more stock at the end.

Excellent info about making jambalaya on Chuck Tagget's amazing Gumbopages:

http://www.gumbopages.com/recipe-page.html - click on The Basics. I recommend Chuck's recipe as a good starting point.

- Hong Kong Dave

[budrichard]

For these type of dishes i always use a rice that holds up well. An authentic paella rice or 'La Preferdia' Pearl Rice or Valencina style is very cost effective. Made a brown Jambalya last night with this rice and turned out very smooth. -Dick

[FistFullaRoux]

When I cook anything with rice, I usually use Mahatma long grain rice. It's my standard. There are so many different versions, using different ingredients - including rice - that the only real specific part of the recipe is the liquid to rice ratio. Whichever rice you use, as long as it has the right amout of liquid, it'll be OK.

Specifically to your problem, you may have simply used a rice that doesn't split. Or you can try using a bit more liquid and cooking longer. Maybe the seal of the lid on the dutch oven isn't so great, and you lost some through evaporation. You can either add 1/4 cup more liquid, or cover the pot with aluminum foil, the put the lid on top of that for a better seal.

Fistfullaroux

I think that it is Calrose rice, What liquid, rice, ratio do you like.

Charlie

For long grain, I've found that if you follow the directions on the packeage, as far as liquid/rice ratio, it comes out a little too gummy. I usually hold back about 10% of the water if I'm using a rice steamer. If I'm cooking on the stovetop, I'll use the full amout as written on the package. At the end of cooking, if you have no more liquid and things are not where they should be texturewise, add a little more water(1 tablespoons per cup of rice usually does it) , slap the lid back on on the lowest heat setting you have. Then give it 5-10 more minutes. You'll have a certain amount of carryover heat as well. But don't try to do this fix more than once. You will have sticky rice in that case. And don't bother cooking anything less than a cup of raw rice per batch, no matter what cooking method. It will never work out.

With rice, there are a lot of factors involved, and you have to figure them all in. On the Gulf coast, I use less water than inland (like Birmingham). I've never cooked in Colorado, but I'd imagine there would be a difference there as well.

It takes some trial and error. Luckily rice is cheap and easy to incorporate into other dishes if it gets overcooked. If it is undercooked, I've found that I can do a sort of risotto type of thing by adding stock or some kind of flavored broth and stirring it constantly to finish it off.

Just keep trying it. I've been cooking rice for over 20 years, and sometimes I still miss.

[fifi]

OK... I will jump in. For cooking rice, I just put the measured amounts in my fuzzy logic rice cooker, add the water to "the line" and all is well with the world. Before that, I had my designated rice pot with a predetermined ratio, if you lift the lid you die, and all was well.

However, for jambalaya, that is a different thing. There is more liquid than I would use with just rice. I have always used long grain white rice like my gumbo goddess taught me. For her and for me, Mahatma brand was what was in the pantry and that is what we used. In jambalaya the rice is typically "overcooked" in that the rice splits. There is also typically more liquid than what is in a perfect pot of rice. Jambalaya is a different thing. I am not sure that boutique rice makes a big difference here. The other flavors should be strong enough to overpower the flavor of the rice. The rice adds the bulk and the texture. Jambalaya is all about using what you have to make a delicious dinner when what you have isn't a lot. Using "fancy" rice seems to fly in the face of that tradition.

[LEdlund]

I love jambalaya and make it all the time. For me, it's got to be "popcorn rice"

Popcorn Rice