Domain: tiger-web1.srvr.media3.us Jambalaya conundrum....sticky , mushy rice | Food and Drink
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Jambalaya conundrum....sticky , mushy rice

Posted on 10/6/24 at 9:21 am
Posted by cuyahoga tiger
NE Ohio via Tangipahoa
Member since Nov 2011
6133 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 9:21 am
While my jam taste great, I just can't get the rice right. Brown proteins, take out pot, cook down vegies, brown some tomato paste (sorry Gonzales), , return protein to pot, throw in a couple bay leaves and rice (I have heated/browned the rice here , before adding stock, with no different results) and stock. 2 parts stock, 1 part rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover for 25 minutes or so until stock is absorbed. Stir in parsley and green onions

My questions?
- should i be rinsing my long grain rice?
- should I let stock boil before adding rice , then bring back to boil, cut to simmer and cover?

TIA for pointers
Posted by GregMaddux
LSU Fan
Member since Jun 2011
18668 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 9:27 am to
quote:

let stock boil before adding rice , then bring back to boil


Then continue stirring until most of the stock is absorbed. Should take about 8 minutes. Stir gently baw. Then cover

Or maybe tomato paste makes jambalaya mushy, no clue
This post was edited on 10/6/24 at 9:31 am
Posted by SixthAndBarone
Member since Jan 2019
10833 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 9:31 am to
Get rid of the tomato paste.

Bring to a boil. Add rice. Bring back to a boil. Then let it steam.
Posted by cuyahoga tiger
NE Ohio via Tangipahoa
Member since Nov 2011
6133 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 9:34 am to
quote:

Then let it steam.


covered with fire off, or covered with fire low?
Posted by nateslu1
Mr. Belvedere Fan Club
Member since Apr 2012
6936 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 9:56 am to
fire off

Jambalaya Gonzales Style

the more you rinse your rice, the less sticky it will be. i never rinse my rice for a jambalaya
This post was edited on 10/6/24 at 10:04 am
Posted by Koolazzkat
Behind the Tupelo gum tree
Member since May 2021
3280 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 10:02 am to
I’ve seen old folks lay white bread across the top of a mushy jambalaya for 30 minutes with the lid on and fire off. It seemed to help but hell I was hungry and was going to eat it anyway.
Posted by Tigertown in ATL
Georgia foothills
Member since Sep 2009
30266 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 10:05 am to
quote:

Jambalaya conundrum....sticky , mushy rice


You are not alone.
I can’t ever get it right. But it tastes great.
So I’ve got that going for me.
Posted by jmh5724
Member since Jan 2012
2690 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 10:54 am to
What size pot are you using? Finishing in the oven comes out perfect for me every time on smaller jambalayas
Posted by cuyahoga tiger
NE Ohio via Tangipahoa
Member since Nov 2011
6133 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 10:58 am to
quote:

What size pot are you using?


Cast iron enameled Dutch oven, probably 16 qt, plenty big for the amount I make.
Posted by Stadium Rat
Metairie
Member since Jul 2004
10126 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 11:28 am to
Use this procedure:

Slice the sausage and cut the meat into cubes. (Try to keep a small piece of fat on each piece as it tenderizes the meat and adds great taste.) Season meat pieces well with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning mix.

Brown the pork down really well in oil. Let it fry till it sticks, then stir. Do that over and over. Sometimes a little water is needed to cool off the grease. The sticky part (gratin) on the bottom of the pot will dictate the color of the rice.

You can remove the browned meat from the pot, but many cooks choose to leave it in while browning the other meats. Add chicken and brown it well.

Next, mildly brown the sausage. Don't cook the sausage till fried dark brown because that tends to cooks all the taste out..

Drain the grease but don't lose the gratin. Then add the onions, green pepper, celery and garlic powder. Cook until clear-looking. This is when you scrape the bottom of the pot, getting all the brown gratin from the pork. This is where the color starts to come in.

After the vegetables are cooked, add the meat back to the pot and mix well. Cook all the liquid out at this time.

Add water or stock. After it comes to a boil, start tasting the liquid and add salt and other seasonings as needed. It needs to be a bit salty because the rice will absorb much of the saltiness.

Skim the remaining grease off the top. The boiling action will help separate it from the water/broth.

Add the green onions, then bring mixture back to a rolling boil. Add the rice. Break it up to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Let it boil until it starts to expand and "jump out the pot" (some will rise to the top of the liquid). This is a very important time relevant to the "popping" of the rice. Let the rice get noticeably bigger/expanded before you cut down on the heat and cover. This can be achieved on a HARD boil, which is critical to the rice pop.

When you think it's ready to cover, cut back on the heat and put the lid on. Do not lift the cover for any reason!

Let this cook for about 25 minutes or so. A longer cooking time may be needed for very large volumes of rice.

Then roll the rice. Don't stir. Roll it from bottom to top. When you turn it this time, don't scrape the bottom of the pot because one exposed burnt rice grain will ruin the pot. Re-cover and cut the heat off.

Let sit for another 15 minutes and then uncover and serve.

Source: Jambalaya Calculator
This post was edited on 10/6/24 at 11:29 am
Posted by Paul Allen
Montauk, NY
Member since Nov 2007
78058 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 11:31 am to
From Tom Fitzmorris’s New Orleans Food Cookbook. Which is by far the best recipe I’ve ever had.

quote:

Heat the oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Add the chicken and sausage and brown the chicken all over, till it sticks to the pan somewhat.

Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic, and sauté until they wilt.
Add the oyster water or stock and enough more water to make 7 cups total.

Bring to a light boil, stirring to dissolve the browned bits in the pot.

Add Tabasco, Worcestershire, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, Creole seasoning and salt. Bring the pot to a boil, Lower to a light boil and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken. Stir the rice into the pot. Cover and lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken meat from the bones and set aside.
When the rice is cooked, stir in the chicken, green onions, parsley, and oysters.

Stir all the ingredients well with a big spoon or wooden paddle. Continue to cook, uncovered, at the lowest possible temperature, stirring gently every couple of minutes, until the rice is just beginning to dry. Add seasonings to taste.
Posted by GeauxTigers0107
We Coming
Member since Oct 2009
10780 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 11:59 am to
quote:

by far the best recipe I’ve ever had.



You need to get out more then
Posted by Stadium Rat
Metairie
Member since Jul 2004
10126 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 12:06 pm to
quote:

by far the best recipe I’ve ever had.
Posted by questionable
FL
Member since Apr 2008
1243 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 3:38 pm to
Never had this issue since I started using the finish in the oven method. Bring to a boil stir in rice and bring back to a boil. Stir well and then pop it into a tree fiddy degree oven for a half hour.
Posted by OTIS2
NoLA
Member since Jul 2008
52301 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 4:25 pm to
Ding,ding, ding.
Posted by Zappas Stache
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
Member since Apr 2009
42693 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 4:40 pm to
You need to account for liquid from the veggies....and tomato paste. So try a 1.75:1 ratio of stock to rice. Then like others have stated, bring to a boil and let rice "pop" before reducing heat to low and putting lid on.
Posted by armytiger96
Member since Sep 2007
2167 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 8:18 pm to
quote:

What size pot are you using? Finishing in the oven comes out perfect for me every time on smaller jambalayas


Same here
Posted by Dubaitiger
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Member since Nov 2005
5207 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 8:43 pm to
quote:

- should I let stock boil before adding rice , then bring back to boil, cut to simmer and cover?


Yep!!

Stock incorporated to the cooked down meat and trinity and current gravy from cooking the meat down to tender
Let Boil
Add Rice then back to a boil
Stir for about 1 minute until rice starts to expand
Turn down to low simmer and Cover pot
Wait 20-25 minutes (Peak at 20, let go till 25 to fully cook)
Turn off heat
Add some more onion tops, stir slowly to fluff it, don't mash it, cover it again
Wait 5-10 minutes, ready to eat

PS. Don't put that tomato paste/sauce like you did it. If you have to have tomato sauce/chopped, then add a little bit when you are browning the meat or when cooking down the trinity. A little bit


Posted by Dubaitiger
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Member since Nov 2005
5207 posts
Posted on 10/6/24 at 8:56 pm to
Stadium Rat,

Spot on!! Mine is almost the same....

Pro tip- I brown each meat separate then remove

Start with Pork, brown and take out
Chicken, brown and take out
Sausage, brown and take out

Add trinity to the meat pieces sticking to the bottom of the pot, when translucent or more, add stock.

Cook down to tenderize the meat, add more water/stock, cook down a second time.... Meat is now tender. You will have a small gravy at the bottom as the water/stock cooks out.

Then, add a mix of stock & water to get your rice cooked down (2-1). For my little mess I cook for myself (4 servings), I use 5 cups fluid to 2.5 cups of rice, or 4-2 if I want it really juicy.

Bring to a boil, add rice, bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute until rice expands/pops, then cover, simmer for 20-25 min.

Another tip- while I am cooking down the meat a couple times I pull some gravy out for later when I have leftovers- to add some of that flavor gravy to give it a more meaty/gravy taste, from it becoming a bit dry in the fridge.

Posted by In The Know
City of St George, La
Member since Jan 2005
6471 posts
Posted on 10/7/24 at 6:35 am to
I like sticky mushy jambalaya rice ?????
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