Cajun Gumbo
Cajun food is, to me, a representation of resilience. It comes from a people, the Acadians, who were displaced from their homes and fled to the Louisiana bayou. They used the limited resources available to them in their new home, and over time their food became a combination of French, West African, Spanish and Native American influences. Cajun dishes are commonly made in a single pot, because that’s all that was available. It’s about community, tradition and strength. My dad’s family are from New Orleans, so they know a thing or two about Cajun food (not to be confused with Creole food, which is also great)… and they really know gumbo. My uncle Byron makes gumbo every year at Christmas and my uncle Randy’s version uses duck instead of chicken. But the person who first introduced me to it is my aunt Susan, who took me on my first trip to New Orleans when I was 16. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since; it’s my go-to birthday, celebration, or pick-me-up dish and I’ve just about perfected this recipe.
Ingredients
- 100 millilitervegetable oil
- 60 gramsplain flour
- 2onions, diced
- 3sticks celery, finely diced
- 2green peppers, diced
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 330 milliliterslager (replace with 300ml chicken stock to make alcohol free)
- 1 litergood-quality chicken stock
- 600 gramschicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 500 gramsandouille sausage (or any smoked sausage if not using pork), sliced
- 1.5 tablespoonssmoked paprika
- 0.5 teaspooncayenne, or to taste
- 1bay leaf
- 175 gramsokra, sliced
- 300 gramsraw king prawns
- salt and freshly-ground pepper
- Tabasco
- cooked white rice
- 2spring onions, sliced crusty bread (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Start by making your roux. Add the oil and flour to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- 2
Whisk together and stir regularly until it reaches a light peanut butter colour. From here on, whisk constantly until it reaches a dark chocolate-brown, but it’s not burnt. If it smells burnt, and it has little black flecks in it, then you’ve taken it too far. Luckily, it’s easy to bin it and start again – but be careful, it’s like lava by this point!
- 3
Once it’s dark enough, add the ‘holy trinity’ (onion, celery and peppers). Reduce the heat to medium-low, cook for 1–2 minutes before adding the garlic. Cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the (optional) beer and chicken stock. Stir to combine everything, then add the whole chicken thighs and sausage. You can brown these in a pan separately beforehand for extra flavour, but if you’re in a rush, just add them as they are.
- 4
Season with smoked paprika, cayenne, bay leaf, salt, and grind in enough fresh black pepper until your arm aches! Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes on a low heat. Skim if you need to, and don’t worry if it looks like there’s a layer of oil at the top at first, it’ll slowly mix into the soup.
- 5
Add the sliced okra and cook for another 10–15 minutes or until it’s thickened, before turning off the heat and adding the prawns. Once the prawns are cooked through, gently pull apart any large chunks of chicken, finish with some tabasco, and spoon into bowls.
- 6
Place a little rice in the middle of each bowl, top with spring onions and more black pepper. Serve with some bread and dig in!