The origins of Gumbo Ya Ya
Gumbo Ya Ya was first coined by the influential Chef Paul Prudhomme who was the first American born Executive Chef of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. It is arguably one of the most famous dishes to come out of Louisiana. Gumbo is a derivative of the West African word for okra, suggesting this was the primary ingredient. The Choctaws were the first to add filé (dried and ground sassafras leaves), adding to the complex flavor of the dish.
There are many options for the principal ingredient, including chicken, ham, oysters, turkey, wild turkey, squirrel, rabbit, beef, veal, crabs, soft-shell crabs, shrimp, greens, and cabbage. Some types of gumbo are made with okra, others with filé. I add a little of both because I like the taste of each. The ingredients are easy to gather, and other than the slow process of making the roux, the recipe is pretty simple.
The day I made this Gumbo Ya Ya, it was cold and wet outside. A hot bowl of gumbo hit the spot. Warm garlic bread, a cold beer and a side of creamy potato salad (yes this is a thing) make this dish a stick-to-your ribs kind of meal.
To make gumbo properly, begin by prepping everything for each stage before putting it all together. Chop the vegetables and prep the meats in advance so they can be added as needed. Start by slicing garlic cloves very thin, chop the celery, green bell pepper, seeded and stemmed jalapeno, onions, and poblano chile.
Measure out the All Purpose flour.
Heat up the oil to hot over medium-high, but never to the smoking point. Be sure to check Google for the smoking point on oils. Heating any oil to this point can chemically change the properties of the oil and make it very unhealthy, so get your oil hot, but not the point of ignition. For vegetable oil, heat to 170-175 degrees. Peanut oil is commonly used because it has a high smoking point. On this day I’m using pure rendered duck fat to give my gumbo another layer of umami.
IMPORTANT! Once you start to make the roux, you are committed until the roux is done. Never to walk away while pot while it is on the heat. The oil is already super hot and leaving it to go the fridge, answer the phone or talk to a neighbor at the door is a sure way to invite disaster. The flour and oil will burn and you will have to start over (best case scenario) or the oil will ignite (worse case scenario). So get comfortable or find a whisking partner to switch off tasks, and prepare to whisk the roux until it is done to the point you want.
A white roux means the flour has mixed evenly with the oil and cooked for a few minutes. At this point the roux is a simple thickening agent without any complex flavors cooked in.
Cooked to the second stage, this is a “blonde” roux and has started to take on a little bit of flavor.
This is the third stage of a roux. As you can see, there are no black flecks swirling about. The constant whisking keeps the flour from sticking to the bottom of the pot. This is the “peanut butter” or third stage. Many people stop here since this is at about 20 minutes of stirring and cooking. The flavor is developed and suitable for use in Cajun or Creole dishes.
This is the fourth stage, the “chocolate” or “dark” roux, which took 45 minutes to 1 hour of continuous whisking, and moving the pot on and off the flame to regulate the heat. The flour is fully cooked and not burned in any way. The aroma is that of deep roasted nuts. The roux takes on a red tinge (roux meaning “red” in french), thus the characteristic name. Reduce the heat to medium at this point.
Once you’ve reached the roux stage of your choice add the vegetables, except for the okra. They will immediately start to sizzle and cook engulfing the room with an incredible aroma.
Stir or whisk the vegetables and roux together. The heat should be at medium while you add the next few ingredients.
Add the wet and dry seasonings and herbs according the recipe below. Once they are incorporated, add the chicken stock and whisk everything together. Continue heating over medium, while whisking occasionally. Once the gumbo is brought up to heat, the roux will thicken. At that point, reduce the heat to low or medium-low to simmer.
Use fresh organic chicken whenever possible. Cooked chicken from the grocery store, or leftovers from rotisserie chicken are great options. Toss the chicken with a pinch or two of flour, salt and black pepper.
Sauté the chicken, giving it a brown crust.
While there are many great precooked versions of andouille out there, I prefer to use fresh made andouille to get a crisp caramelized edge on the casing.
Slice each link in half and then slice it into half moons.
Add the cooked chicken and andouille sausage to the gumbo.
Add fresh parsley.
Add the cooked, cut okra to the gumbo. The okra is a great way to add flavor as well as texture and it acts as a thickening agent. Some prefer to add filé powder to enhance the flavor and thicken the gumbo. I add both so I’m not missing either ingredient.
To serve, add cooked long grain rice to the bottom of the serving dish.
Ladle the gumbo over the rice and top with an additional tablespoon of rice, followed by minced green scallions, filé powder and paprika.
Serve Gumbo Ya Ya with plenty of extra Tabasco style hot sauce, filé powder, crackers, Captain’s Wafers, garlic bread, or cornbread, and cold beer or iced tea. Also try it with a side of creamy potato salad. Oh man, this is so good!
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo aka Gumbo Ya Ya
Gumbo Ya Ya is a version of Creole/Cajun Gumbo with chicken and andouille sausage. While there are many types of gumbo with varying ingredients, this one is the most famous. If you have leftovers, the gumbo tastes even better heated up the next day. This dish also freezes exceptionally well for later use.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil or rendered duck fat
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken, boneless/skinless thighs cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken boneless/skinless breast cut into cubes
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 pinches all purpose flour (for dusting chicken)
- 4 cloves garlic, large sliced very thin
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 whole green bell pepper, diced
- 1 whole jalapeno, pepper stemmed, seeded and diced
- 1 whole poblano pepper stemmed, seeded and diced
- 1 whole onion, peeled and diced
- 2 whole bay leaves or 1 tbsp of ground bay leaf
- 2 tsp cayenne, ground
- 1 tbsp kosher or sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp black course ground pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp file powder (otherwise known as ground sassafras leaves)
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme stemmed/chopped can substitute dried
- 1 tsp fresh oregano stemmed/chopped can substitute dried
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Crystal or Tabassco hot sauce, or your favorite hot sauce
- 12 cups chicken stock, preferably roasted but regular will do
- 1 lbs andouille sausage, cooked, cut in half and sliced
- 1/3 cup parsley, Italian, fresh, minced
- 24 oz okra, fresh or frozen cut into 1/2 inch slices (fresh will take a bit longer to cook than frozen)
- scallions, finely chopped for garnish
- rice, white cooked
Instructions
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Remove any chicken fat or skin from the boneless chicken and cut the meat into cubes. Season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of flour and reserve.
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Heat up a sauté pan with about 2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Cook the meat in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until the chicken meat is slightly browned all over and reserve.
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Chop the onion, celery and green peppers. Slice the garlic cloves very thin and reserve. Prepare all the dry spices (bay leaves, thyme, oregano, chili powder, file, mustard, cayenne, white pepper and paprika) and premix in a bowl.
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Add the oil/duck fat to a heavy bottom large pot. Heat the oil until very hot, but not smoking. Add the flour and whisk in stirring constantly. Continue stirring for about 40 minutes to an hour until you’ve reach a very dark roux.
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Once you’ve attained a dark, but not burned roux, whisk the vegetable mixture to the roux and continue to stir. Add the dry spice mix and the Crystal and Worcestershire sauce and stir to mix in. Let this season the roux while stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.
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Add the chicken stock and whisk in to incorporate. Once the chicken stock has come up to a simmer (180-190 degrees), and thickened, add the chopped parsley, reserved chicken meat and the sliced andouille sausage. Reduce the heat to medium (170 degrees) and allow the gumbo to cook together for 5-10 minutes. Add the cut okra and stir to mix in. Cook the gumbo for another 10-15 minutes over medium heat or until the okra is very tender. Reduce the gumbo to serving temperature (150 degrees) for service.
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Serve the gumbo over cooked white rice and top with additional rice and chopped scallions.
Recipe Notes
Modern restaurants prepare the roux in the oven as a short cut for the long stirring time. I would suggest you try the original way before using the other methods, to get a baseline for the flavor.
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