Express Chicken Gumbo
I have a confession to make - I have never had authentic gumbo. Purists may gasp, as the gumbo that I make at home is a quick version of the real thing. Apparently to make really authentic gumbo, one must start with the roux. This determines the quality of the gumbo. To make the roux, one cooks some butter and some flour, stirring constantly for an hour (I think there might be brandy in there too) - an hour - until the roux is a rich dark brown. Well, Katsudon loves cooking, but not THAT much, so I’ve made do with an express chicken gumbo recipe. As I said, I’m not sure how real gumbo tastes but this tastes pretty damn good - the spices, the creaminess, the sweetness of the prawns… It’s almost like a laksa. It’s also low carb and reasonably low fat to boot. Makes for an excellent winter dish.
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 green capsicum, diced
2 chicken breast fillets, cubed
2 rashers bacon, diced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp saffron threads, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp brandy
2 tbsp plain flour
1 L chicken stock
3/4 cup basmati rice
1tbsp olive oil
6 large unshelled prawns
300g okra, thickly sliced
1 small can evaporated milk (or 2tbsp cream for those of us who don’t mind a bit of saturated fat)
3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
Heat the oil in a large stockpot, and add the bacon, garlic, onion, capsicum, chicken, cayenne and allspice. Cook, stirring for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. Sitr in the saffron and soaking liquid, brandy, tomato paste and flour, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
Gradually add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the rice, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a pain and fry the prawns and okra for 2 minutes or until the prawns change colour. Add to the gumbo, then stir in the evaporated milk, parsley and tabasco sauce and heat for 1-2 minutes. Serve in big bowls with extra Tabasco sauce to taste.