Jambalaya is a traditional Louisianan dish that usually contains chicken and chorizo but this version is all vegan. We've opted to use a vegan chicken that we made using vital wheat gluten, but you could easily use Fry's, Quorn or your favourite plant-based 'meat' brand. That's if you want to use any of these replacements at all!
There's nothing better than trying food from other countries – we absolutely love to find out about different cuisine and cultures. You don't have to miss out when you're a plant-powered punk - we're always hunting down vegan options of traditional dishes when we're on our travels, and love creating our own versions at home. Jambalaya typically consists of a couple of types of meat (usually at least one sausage), vegetables and rice, so we've used some vegan chicken and chorizo alternatives here to keep it real.
As an added bonus, this is a one-pot recipe so you can spend less time washing up!
We've featured Tubby Tom's King Cajun spice mix in this recipe because we've found it offers the most well-rounded flavour, and he's really good at spices. Check him out if you need hot sauce, spice rubs or even vegan mayo – when it's in stock.
What you'll need:
- One big saucepan
- A jug to measure the stock
Vegan Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 onion - roughly chopped
- 2 red peppers - deseeded and cut into chunk
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms – chopped into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Cajun spice mix – we use Tubby Tom's because it's the best
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 150 g vegan chicken pieces optional
- 130 g vegan chorizo - optional, cut into thick slices
- 400 g chopped tomatoes - 1 tin
- 500 ml veg stock or vegan chicken stock*
- 300 g white rice
- 400 g tin kidney beans - drained & rinsed
- 1 lime
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or soup/stew pan, add a splash of oil and bring up to a high heat
- Add the onion and cook until softened1 onion
- Then add the garlic for about 30 seconds – careful it doesn't burn!3 cloves garlic
- Pop the peppers, mushrooms and spices in the pan, stir frequently for 2-3 minutes2 red peppers, 250 g chestnut mushrooms, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp Cajun spice mix
- Chuck in the vegan chicken and chorizo for 1 minute150 g vegan chicken pieces, 130 g vegan chorizo
- Stir the rice in too then pour in the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer400 g chopped tomatoes, 300 g white rice, 500 ml veg stock
- Cook for around 25-30 minutes - this is going to depend on the rice you use, so adjust as necessary. The rice should absorb most of the liquid by the time it's done
- Once the rice is cooked, add the kidney beans, juice of the lime and season with salt and pepper to taste - stir it all through then serve!400 g tin kidney beans, 1 lime
Ed
I'm slowly working my way through your recipes during lockdown and - actually having been able to get all the right ingredients this time - this is a fantastic dish. I'm not much of a cook but thank you for making this easy to follow and incredibly scrumptious! Brilliant recipe 🙂