Follow This Tip For A Perfect Jambalaya

Jambalaya deserves a spot on your list of weeknight favorites this winter. It's cozy and customizable, affordable, and easy to make (once you master a few little techniques). The perfect homemade jambalaya is packed with flavorful spices balanced with smoked, savory meats (usually more than one), like sausage, chicken, and any other kind of meat you want to toss into the pot. The dish can be made with anything from venison to alligator and seasoned to your taste, but there is one ground rule for a good pot of the hearty meal: You have to get the rice right.

The grain in jambalaya carries the rest of the ingredients, so it shouldn't be cemented to the bottom of the pot or be overly soupy. Instead, aim for flavorful, slightly sticky, and perfectly fluffy rice to serve as the foundation of the dish. Make sure you use a long-grain variety like jasmine or basmati and rinse it before cooking it in the same pot as everything else. Once it's in the pot, the real magic begins. Dial in the amount of steam you generate and trap as the rice cooks for some that is moist and tender without being too wet or undercooked.

The key to a perfect jambalaya is perfectly steamed rice, and it all starts with making sure you have the right ratio of water and grain in the pot. (The proportions can be tricky to remember, so here's a refresher on how to cook rice.) Add the correct amounts of water or broth and rice to the pot, and then turn up the heat. You'll want to bring the liquid to a boil to generate as much steam as possible. Turn down the burner once you've created a decent amount of steam so you don't scorch the dish, and fine-tune the heat to maintain a balance between the two.

More steam in the pot will lead to rice that is moist and tender, as long as it doesn't become oversaturated. Less will dry it out a bit, so take the lid off the pot if your jambalaya is too wet. That way, you'll be able to steam off some liquid and get closer to that light and airy, optimal consistency.