Jambalaya

Ok...so now I need to try it both ways! This sounds so good!

I like it with the rice cooked in the sauce,like my mom does it.My mom is "Jambalaya Queen" and she puts some twists on it too...chicken and crawfish are great but she has made with bacalhau(dry salted cod fish),ground beef,portuguese sausage,and even sliced hot dogs...

IMO, alot more flavor when it is saucey and served over rice.

The choice between separate cooked rice is typically whether you prefer more of a wet Jambalaya or dry Jambalaya. The rice will absorb most all of the liquid if cooked with the jambalaya. I like to have more of a sauce that is poured over already cooked rice.
If you want the rice to have lots of flavor you can cook it in chicken stock with a few pieces of andouille sausage and some of the creole spices you use in the jambalaya itself.

Wow!!! Thank you so much! I have not decide between red or brown but I will!

One more thing, I was just wondering if you had decided between a red or a brown jambalaya? The red is historically Creole, and the brown is historically Cajun. Historically, of course. Everyones

I think that the main difference is knowing your rice. The cooks in southwest Louisiana- home cooks, diner cooks, cafeteria cooks, line cooks- they know their rice. They know exactly how much water to add to that big pan, with a little bit of rice, simply by measuring it to the knuckle before putting it in the steamer or cooking in the oven or that big propane burner. Mushy, overcooked rice is a sin down here. To avoid that, cook your rice separately. If you know exactly how much liquid (combined- stock, tomatoes and water) that will yield perfectly cooked rice, go for it! All the flavors will get absorbed by the rice, like a good paella (the origin of jambalaya). The preferred rice for jambalaya down here is usually a medium-grain rice, which is widely grown around Lafayette, LA, the heart of Cajun country. The cooks really know their rice there! The medium grain rice available usually does best with 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 water to 1 cup rice. Don't forget the salt if you cook it separately. Enjoy!