Hey, hey, happy Monday! How was your weekend? It feels like ours was over in the blink of an eye, but I got some work done, made the CUTEST homemade Valentine’s Day cards for Lincoln’s class with a crafty friend (just carved a design into a styrofoam plate then painted over it and pressed a 5×7 piece of paper on top – adorbs) and spent Sunday at my parent’s house hanging out and watching the Super Bowl. I’m not ready to face the week quite yet but am SUPER PSYCHED to share the recipe for Gumbo Fried Rice with you today! As you guys know, whenever I visit a new restaurant or city I love to recreate my favorite dishes back at home. There’s nothing like being able to relive a trip or experience through food, right? Anyway, I wasted zero time recreating the Gumbo Fried Rice I had at Brasa in Minneapolis last weekend because it was that good, and the timing is right because Mardi Gras is tomorrow! Whether or not you make this southern-inspired dish to celebrate the colorful NOLA tradition, just make it because Gumbo Fried Rice is one of my most favorite restaurant recreations to date!
Homemade yellow rice (which is way better than a box mix loaded with salt and preservatives!) is stir fried with browned smoked sausage, chopped shrimp, the holy trinity of southern cooking – bell pepper, celery, and onion – and plenty of Creole seasoning, then served up hot with tons of green onions and hot sauce. If you love gumbo (hello favorite food ever,) you must, must make this fried rice that takes just 30 minutes to make vs traditional gumbo’s 2+ hour time commitment. Trust me, there’s a time and place for gumbo (like every single weekend in the fall and season that shall not be named,) and there’s a TIME and a PLACE for Gumbo Fried Rice (which is every day.) :) Attending Mardi Gras made Ben’s and my bucket list after visiting New Orleans in 2010. Man, oh man, there is nothing like that city! Food, culture, history, great people, and FUN. I mean we got invited – and went – to a house party the second night we were there! #totalimmersion It’s a vibe and experience like none other, and I tell everyone who’ll listen to go and visit NOLA to see for themselves – I can’t even imagine how nuts it’d be during Mardi Gras. Unfortunately I have a dentist appointment tomorrow so I can’t sling beads on Bourbon Street, but you better believe I’ll be making this Gumbo Fried Rice to celebrate in my Iowa kitchen!
Start the Gumbo Fried Rice by making a batch of yellow rice. What gives the rice its florescent yellow color? Turmeric! Turmeric can be found at the regular grocery store and is commonly used in southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cooking. Give it a smell and I bet you’ll be reminded of the last dish you ate of that kind. Saute 2 Tablespoons minced onion, 3/4 teaspoon turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil until the onions begin to soften. Next add 1 cup long grain white rice and 1-1/2 cups chicken broth. Place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat then let it with the lid on for 10 minutes before fluffing. You can make the yellow rice a day ahead of time to save time too.
Next heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat then add 7oz chopped kielbasa or andouille sausage and saute until browned. Andouille sausage is traditionally used in gumbo but if you’re sensitive to spice, or serving this dish to kids, I’d stick with mild smoked kielbasa sausage. Johnsonville makes great, gluten-free versions of both.
Remove the sausage to a plate then add 6oz chopped shrimp to the skillet with another Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Season the shrimp with Creole seasoning then saute until cooked through, 2-3 minutes, and then add to the plate with the sausage.
You can use whatever Creole seasoning you like – I like Emeril’s Essence which is made up of spice cupboard staples!
Next add 1 green bell pepper, 2 stalks celery, and 1/2 onion all chopped small, along with the white parts of 3 chopped green onions (save the green parts for garnish at the end.) Add more Creole seasoning then saute until the vegetables are tender, 7-9 minutes.
Last step is to push the vegetables to the sides of the wok then pour 2 eggs whisked with salt and pepper into the center, and then scramble until cooked.
Add the cooked sausage, shrimp, and rice into the wok with more Creole seasoning then toss to combine. If you made the rice ahead of time and it’s cold from the fridge, add a glug of chicken broth to the wok to plump it back up.
Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary, then scoop into bowls and top with plenty of green onions and hot sauce!
As we know I am a spice WIMP but Brasa served their Gumbo Fried Rice bowls with a tangy, bright-orange hot sauce that was flirting with being too spicy, but overall really enhanced the dish. That said, a dash or 17 of hot sauce really brightens up the dish. However you serve it up – enjoy this DELICIOUS, southern-inspired recipe!
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