Your Prog Chef:
On the menu: The Vampire’s Bite (aka Chicken Jambalaya)
“i started to cook when i moved into my first apartment some 40 years ago. The best dish i’ve ever had is yet to be discovered, but i believe in simplicity. My mum (who sadly passed away almost 10 years ago) was a cook extraordinaire, and i learned a lot from her. Her butter-cooked spinach with grated parmesan and roasted pine nuts was a favourite of mine.
“nowadays, i get my inspiration from all over the world since i often tour for months on end. There’s always something new and intriguing out there, but i don’t cook on the road as we have a fabulous caterer who spoils us rotten!”
Ingredients (serves 4)
Cooked chicken breast, 4 spicy sausages, 1 tbsp butter, 2 onions, 3 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp olive oil, 300g long grain rice, 800ml boiling water or chicken stock, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp sambal oelek or other chilli paste, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 6 spring onions, salt and pepper, 3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley, a splash of smoky whisky.
For the sauce: 180g Turkish yoghurt, 70g mango chutney, honey (optional, to taste).
Preparation
“Peel and chop the onions and garlic. in a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and add the rice. Allow it to sizzle for about 1 minute while stirring. Add the boiling water or stock, canned tomatoes and chilli paste, and leave the mixture to cook down. This should take about 20 minutes. Make sure you stir every now and then to prevent burning. Meanwhile, cut the cooked chicken into pieces and remove the skin. slice the sausages at an angle and fry in the butter. set aside. Deseed and dice the peppers, and shred the spring onions. Quickly fry both in the remaining oil. Transfer the cooked vegetables, meat and whisky to the saucepan and stir to combine. season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over the parsley.
To make the sauce, mix the yoghurt with the mango chutney and season. if you prefer a sweeter sauce, add a little honey to taste. serve with the jambalaya and some freshly-baked bread.
i’ve always wanted to make a hearty Jambalaya as it’s not so common here in sweden, so i made this for my dear friends and neighbours. next time, i’ll spice it up even more!” NRS