New Orleans Gumbo
Who says you need to travel to enjoy New Orleans gumbo? Mine is rich and perfectly spiced with a combination of Southern spices and a brown roux.
New Orleans gumbo is a tasty Southern favorite. If you’ve never made it at home, you will love the spicy, combination of Creole and Cajun flavors. It has to be the most comforting meal that has ingredients from West Africa, France, and Germany. I love a bowl of it on a cold winter’s day.
The Ingredients for New Orleans Gumbo
This soup recipe calls for a lot of different spices which give it that amazing flavour.
The Ingredients List for New Orleans Gumbo:
- 5 tablespoons oil
- 1 lb okra
- 2 chicken thighs
- 2 spicy Italian sausages
- 1 white onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 12 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 cups water
- 1 cups tomato purée
- 1 lb shrimp
- salt and pepper to taste
Other Entree Recipes you will Like:
The Okra:
Okra tends to get slimy if added to a soup or stew recipe, so we must precook it separately and then add it later. This helps the okra stay firm and not disintegrate when added to anything with liquid in it.
To fry the okra, wash and thoroughly dry each piece of the okra. Cut it into 1 inch pieces. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pot and add the okra to it. Pan fry them till they start to brown. Do not add salt to the pan. Once fried, remove from the pot and set aside.
The Chicken and Sausage:
Next, we need to cook the chicken thighs and sausages. These too need to be precooked and set aside for when the soup is ready.
Cut the chicken thighs and sausages into 1 inch pieces or bite size pieces as preferred. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the same pot in which you did the okra and cook them till they are almost done. Remove them from the pot and set them aside.
The Roux for New Orleans Gumbo:
The roux is what provides the gumbo its beautiful brownish colour. Once you remove the chicken and sausage from the pot, add the remaining oil and the all purpose flour to the pot. Mix it in and allow it to cook for up to 7 or 8 minutes – remember to mix constantly. As it cooks, it starts to change colour and takes on a brownish shade.
Chop the onion and garlic finely and add them to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes. Once the onion has softened, add the chicken and sausage back to the pot and mix well. Add all the spices to the pot and again mix well so that they are evenly distributed. Add the water and tomato puree to the pot. Allow the mix to cook for about 20 minutes or so – again stirring constantly.
Once it has thickened, add the okra and peeled shrimp to the pot. Allow cooking for 3 or so minutes—just enough time for the shrimp to cook, but not get tough. Serve hot and enjoy!
Variations:
There are so many possibilities with this soup recipe:
- Make it into a vegetarian version – replace the chicken and sausage with more vegetables, such as mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, or whatever hearty vegetable you like.
- Make it into a seafood version – replace the chicken and sausage with more seafood, such as crab, squid, muscles, or any other seafood of choice.
- Make it gluten free – replace the all purpose flour with a gluten free flour such as rice flour. Add 1/4 cup of rice flour to the pot when making the roux.
- Not a fan of okra? Replace it with some green beans. Do not cook them in advance but just add them to the pot when you add the shrimp.
Serving Suggestions for New Orleans Gumbo:
- Try it with a side of brown rice or white rice.
- Sop up the stew with my crusty Italian bread.
- Enjoy it with a side of my warm potato salad.
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New Orleans Gumbo
Course: EntreeCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings5
minutes50
minutes507
kcal55
minutesWho says you need to travel to enjoy New Orleans gumbo? Mine is rich and perfectly spiced with a combination of Southern spices and a brown roux.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons oil
1 lb okra
2 chicken thighs
2 spicy Italian sausages
1 white onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups water
1 cups tomato purée
1 lb shrimp
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cut the okra into bite size pieces.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pot and add the okra to it. Pan fry them till they start to brown. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Cut the chicken thighs and sausages into 1 inch pieces or bite size pieces.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the same pot in which you did the okra and add the chicken and sausage to the pot. Cook them till they are almost cooked.
- Remove them from the pot and set them aside.
- Add the remaining oil and the all purpose flour to the pot. Mix together and cook continuously for about 7 – 8 minutes. Remember to stir as you go. Allow it to brown.
- Chop the onions and garlic finely. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and sausage back to the pot and mix well.
- Add all the spices to the pot and stir so that the meat gets well coated with the spices.
- Add the water and tomato puree to the pot and stir well. Allow it to cook for about 20 minutes or so. Remember to stir every little while.
- Once the gumbo has thickened, add the okra and peeled shrimp to the pot. Allow cooking for 3 or so minutes.
- Enjoy hot with a side of rice or my Italian bread, or warm potato salad.
Gumbo is considered a soup or stew that’s often served with a side of rice. Meanwhile, jambalaya is a rice dish whereby the rice is cooked with meat and seafood.
The roux is what provides the gumbo its beautiful brownish colour. The roux is made of all purpose flour that is cooked in the pot in which the chicken and sausage are cooked. It’s cooked until it gets a dark rich brown colour to it.
It is thickened with a roux that is made of all purpose flour. It is a very rich and filling meal on its own.
Hi Deepti,
I thoroughly enjoy your recipes.
I have a request, could you please share in one of your newsletters how to make boring sandwiches exciting by using some homemade sandwich spreads.
Thank you
I love receiving such exotic recipes from you. Reading the recipe has made my mouth water. It’s a must try.
Thank you Anuradha! I am so glad that you enjoy my recipes 🙂