Killer Hipster Pressure Cooker Jambalaya
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 Mins
Cook Time: 15 Mins Sauté, 18 Mins Under High Pressure
Difficulty: Intermediate
It’s winter here in Melbourne, and we’ve just experienced a 110-year record cold snap. The brisk winter air has had Ursula and Troy reaching for scarves and wooly sweaters, and of course, a serving of warming comfort food. Contemporaneously, Troy was reminiscing about his last trip to the US, and decided that a hearty Jambalya fit the “warming comfort food” bill perfectly . To change things up, Troy decided to twist the traditional Jambalaya into a hearty Hipster meal with a touch of cranberry and an artisanal wild rice blend.
This dish is both filling and moreish. The smoky Chorizo and warming Creole spices perfectly compliment the buttery wild rice, vegetables, chicken and prawn blend. A note of sweet brightness from the cranberries enlivens the palate, and with its strong comfort-food qualities, it’s hard to stop at one bowl with this dish.
Ingredients
½ tbsp oil
50g butter
3 thick slices of speck or bacon, cubed (approx ½ cup)
250g (½ lb) spicy smoked chorizo sausages, sliced into “coins” on an angle
250g (½ lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch square pieces
250g (½ lb) ounces prawns, peeled & deveined (cooked)
1-2 tsp creole seasoning (to taste)
1 tsp hungarian sweet paprika
a decent sprinkling of Old Bay seasoning
a few small pinches of seasoned salt
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup (tightly packed) chopped spring (green) onions (scallions, if you’re from certain parts of the US!), plus a small amount of spring onion greens to garnish
4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tbsp minced garlic)
2 cups frozen asian stir-fry vegetables mix (use a variety that includes diced bell peppers and beans)
3 stalks celery, sliced finely
1 standard 400g tin canned diced/crushed tomatoes, undrained
¼ cup tomato paste
1½ cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (or 3 tsps dried) + some for garnish
Warming Elements - Optional (to taste - a little goes a long way):
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 dash hot sauce (we love Huy Fong Sriracha)
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)
Get your Hipster on:
⅓ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup unsweetened pure cranberry juice
1 ½ cups wild rice/brown rice mix
See our guide to pressure cooker pantry essentials to find out more about these ingredients, our recommendations, and where to buy them.
Directions
Turn your pressure cooker on to manual frying mode (“Sauté” on the Instant Pot, “Browning” on the Cook4Me) and wait for it to heat up
Pour the oil and place the butter into the pot and let it melt until it becomes bubbly
Add in speck/bacon, sprinkle with a small pinch of salt, and Sauté until the bacon fat begins to render
Add in onions, garlic, spring onions and “sweat” these until the onion is translucent, stirring frequently – about 5 minutes
Add in the celery and rice, stir to mix ingredients evenly
Add in ½ the Creole spices, paprika and thyme, plus another small pinch of seasoned salt; stir until incorporated. If too dry, add a small amount of extra butter. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to allow flavours to develop.
Add the chicken, season with remaining spices (except parsley) and sauté, stirring frequently until it turns white (it should also take on some colour from the spices)
Optional - add in the “warming elements”, if you wish to use them
Add in the chorizo and sauté for a few minutes
Add the chicken broth, cranberry juice, tomato paste, cranberries, stir-fry vegetable mix and can of diced tomatoes. Stir until well combined.
Close and seal the lid of the pressure cooker.
Select the pressure cooking mode on high pressure (“Quick cook” on the Cook4Me)- set the cooking cycle to run for 18 minutes. Start the pressure cooking cycle.
Once finished, “Quick release” the steam if your cooker does not do this automatically.
Turn pressure cooker on to “Sauté” or “browning” mode, and fold in the 3 table spoons of fresh parsley and prawns; be careful to not break up the rice and make it “mushy”
Put your cooker into “Keep Warm”, close the lid, and let it stay that way for about 5-10 minutes, checking and folding the contents occasionally; you are looking for any residual liquid to be absorbed into the rice
Plate your Jambalaya, Garnish with a small amount of fresh minced parsley and chopped spring onion greens
Serve and enjoy with a side of green beans and a dry or sweet white wine such as a Chenin blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer or Moscato
Do you have any twists or favourite adjustments to this recipe? Let is know in the comments below!