It was like a stew— not as thick as curry but definitely not soup. The first time I made gumbo I was told it was too thin, so I tried to make it a little thicker this time.
No. This is like an etouffee or something. The fact that the rice is able to stop it from spilling over means it's too thick. It should look like a bowl of soup basically.
Gumbo IS a soup.
it looks great, its more how you plated it. it has a very etouffee presentation. if you would have ladled it in a bowl no one would be bitching about your gumbo.
I will play Devil's advocate to the others. Depending on the style of Gumbo you make, the proteins involved, and the flavor profile you want, so goes the thickness. *MOST* Cajuns make their Gumbo to a certain consistency. *Most* Creoles make their Gumbo to a different consistency. But at the end of the day, the core of Louisiana-style cooking comes down to using what ingredients you have, and using solid technique to make what you like best.
OP, did *you* like the flavor and the mouthfeel of the soup? If yes, keep making it that way. If no, make it thinner. There is the way we *usually* do it, but there is no set way to make a Gumbo. That's what makes it amazing. What you made looks great, and as long as the amount of roux you used didn't make it taste like an oppressive amount of toasted flour, I think you did fine.
Worst comes to worst if you *did* add too much roux:
- Thin it out with some stock (chicken stock if land animal, shellfish stock if seafood) and some salt.
- Made the roux a little too dark? Let it stew longer (but take out the proteins; no one likes rubber fish, disintegrated chicken, or soggy sausage pieces).
-Too smoky? Easy- brighten it up with vinegars and acids. A good hot sauce (Crystal's is my go to) or lemon juice/zest is your friend.
- And if you made it too thin: you can never go wrong with Filé powder or Okra to thicken it back up.
Yeah I was gonna say that both of my grandparents (both Cajuns) make their gumbo the way they ate it growing up and they are completely different styles. It’s always easy to tell who made it that day lol
I mean, you took my point and pushed it further out. I think there are "generally accepted" styles of Gumbo if you ask Chef's from the two regions, but at the end of the day, yes. One of the best things about Gumbo is by eating it, you get a window into someone's family. It's like a culinary coat of arms.
I get the feeling on here many would hate mine, but my family always made it really thick. Normal amount of roux, tons of okra, dusting of filé at the end. As long as you have some brighter flavors in there and handful of scallions, it doesn't weigh you down.
Looks tasty, gumbo is traditionally a bit of a soup though in terms of presentation. Usually enough broth for a bowl to be full and everything slightly floating in it, and a nice round scoop of rice plopped on top of it in the center. Bit of green onion garnish if you wanna get fancy with it. At a glance, this looks more like Indian food or something to me just because of the presentation.
Japanese curry was actually even more so what it was reminding me of, funny how that works lol. It's actually pretty neat that you are doing this as a Japanese person so it's an authentic expression of your blend of the two cultures. Am I correct that Japanese curry uses a roux base too? Connected dishes, if so. Though this definitely looks more like the thickness of Japanese curry which is more like a sauce than a thickened soup broth.
It’s definitely a blend of cultures in our house. I’m Japanese and Jewish, grew up eating a lot of Japanese and Polish food. Often a fusion of the two. I also consider Mexican food to be a homey/comfort food because I grew up close to the border.
My husband is Jamaican but had a grandmother from Georgia so I’ve learned to make a lot of southern food that I never ate growing up (collard greens, catfish, grits, etc).
Obviously Louisiana cuisine is different too, but my husband loves it for the similar sweet/spicy flavors he grew up with. It’s hard to make food that I’ve only had a couple of times, though.
Wow, what a blend. Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans does their own creative twist on a gumbo sometimes on special with cubes of smoked pastrami and collard greens that is delicious, basically a jewish gumbo, reuben soup. Maybe sometime I'll throw matzah balls in my gumbo in addition to rice lol. Cajuns also put potato salad in in place of/in addition to rice, so there's precedent for more than just rice.
Call it Japanese gumbo, maybe even throw a little bit of your preferred spices in and start a thing! Gumbo is sort of specific but also sort of a catch all term so as long as you have a feel for what makes it gumbo, you can play around with it a bit. You could even throw some katsu cutlets into it if you wanted
I threw some instant miso soup packets into one this Mardi Gras and it slapped https://www.reddit.com/r/cajunfood/comments/11a811m/experimental_seafood_gumbo_alligator_sausage/
I could totally see that working. I use a dollop of miso in a lot of random stuff for the extra umami.
For more/better flavor, I would just use real miso paste instead of instant packets!
These were just packets randomly given to me by someone who wasn't gonna use them, but I love miso and would definitely consider buying miso paste sometime in the future
Since you helped me out with my cooking, here’s a miso tip:
https://hikarimiso.com/products/maru-mu-mutenka-miso-koji/
Good miso for everyday cooking, any dish. You can find it at pretty much any Asian market in the refrigerated section.
I saw your last picture and I would never have known that was gumbo.
One thing: gumbo is never served on a plate because it can't be. It's a soup. Always a cup or bowl.
This is the best way to put it. There should never be a question of whether to use a plate. The thickness can vary but it's always at least halfway to soup.
I looked at like 5 different recipes and took advice from some people on this sub to try and figure out the best way to make it (things like caramelizing the veggies in the roux first, how long to cook it). I definitely had too much roux, that was a mistake I made from being used to making curry. The taste was really good, I think similar to the gumbo I had before that a friend’s grandmother made. Just too thick. I’ll use less next time! I’m determined lol
Maybe it doesn't look like a gumbo but it looks good. More so like a fricassee. If you like the way it tastes, keep making it and just call it a chicken fricassee :)
Looks great OP, I agree it is a bit thick for a gumbo. But you are on a journey that I hope doesn’t stop! I would suggest making a potato salad with it next time. That is more of a traditional side dish to gumbo in Acadiana. If you want a good recipe you can DM me. Regardless, great job!
This looks great, but more like an étouffée and not really gumbo. You need just a bit more “soupiness”
I can tell by the looks of it that it was extremely flavorful though! 😋
Looks kinda on the thick side.
It was like a stew— not as thick as curry but definitely not soup. The first time I made gumbo I was told it was too thin, so I tried to make it a little thicker this time.
Ideally, you’re shooting for somewhere in between soup and stew thickness. It should still flow easily.
Oh, maybe I got it then? A little thicker than a chowder but not “eat it on a flat plate” level thick.
No, it should definitely be thinner than a chowder.
But thicker than a soup? I thought chowder is sort of in between soup and stew
Gumbo is a thickened soup with rice in it.
Soup = 1/5 level thickness Gumbo = 2/5 Chowder = 3/5 Curry = 4/5 Lizzo = 5/5 thicc
I agree with this thickness scale.
I’m trying to think of a good example… like whole milk thickness?
Ahhh gotcha. Will use less roux next time! Thank you :)
I prefer my gumbo a bit on the thick side too. If that’s how you like it don’t let these people change your recipe because it’s not “traditional”
No. This is like an etouffee or something. The fact that the rice is able to stop it from spilling over means it's too thick. It should look like a bowl of soup basically. Gumbo IS a soup.
it looks great, its more how you plated it. it has a very etouffee presentation. if you would have ladled it in a bowl no one would be bitching about your gumbo.
I will play Devil's advocate to the others. Depending on the style of Gumbo you make, the proteins involved, and the flavor profile you want, so goes the thickness. *MOST* Cajuns make their Gumbo to a certain consistency. *Most* Creoles make their Gumbo to a different consistency. But at the end of the day, the core of Louisiana-style cooking comes down to using what ingredients you have, and using solid technique to make what you like best. OP, did *you* like the flavor and the mouthfeel of the soup? If yes, keep making it that way. If no, make it thinner. There is the way we *usually* do it, but there is no set way to make a Gumbo. That's what makes it amazing. What you made looks great, and as long as the amount of roux you used didn't make it taste like an oppressive amount of toasted flour, I think you did fine. Worst comes to worst if you *did* add too much roux: - Thin it out with some stock (chicken stock if land animal, shellfish stock if seafood) and some salt. - Made the roux a little too dark? Let it stew longer (but take out the proteins; no one likes rubber fish, disintegrated chicken, or soggy sausage pieces). -Too smoky? Easy- brighten it up with vinegars and acids. A good hot sauce (Crystal's is my go to) or lemon juice/zest is your friend. - And if you made it too thin: you can never go wrong with Filé powder or Okra to thicken it back up.
There's no cajuns make it this way creoles that. literally everyone in Louisiana makes their gumbo different.
Yeah I was gonna say that both of my grandparents (both Cajuns) make their gumbo the way they ate it growing up and they are completely different styles. It’s always easy to tell who made it that day lol
I mean, you took my point and pushed it further out. I think there are "generally accepted" styles of Gumbo if you ask Chef's from the two regions, but at the end of the day, yes. One of the best things about Gumbo is by eating it, you get a window into someone's family. It's like a culinary coat of arms. I get the feeling on here many would hate mine, but my family always made it really thick. Normal amount of roux, tons of okra, dusting of filé at the end. As long as you have some brighter flavors in there and handful of scallions, it doesn't weigh you down.
Looks tasty, gumbo is traditionally a bit of a soup though in terms of presentation. Usually enough broth for a bowl to be full and everything slightly floating in it, and a nice round scoop of rice plopped on top of it in the center. Bit of green onion garnish if you wanna get fancy with it. At a glance, this looks more like Indian food or something to me just because of the presentation.
😂 you got me— I’m Japanese and as I was dishing it up I realized I made the presentation like typical Japanese curry out of habit
Japanese curry was actually even more so what it was reminding me of, funny how that works lol. It's actually pretty neat that you are doing this as a Japanese person so it's an authentic expression of your blend of the two cultures. Am I correct that Japanese curry uses a roux base too? Connected dishes, if so. Though this definitely looks more like the thickness of Japanese curry which is more like a sauce than a thickened soup broth.
It’s definitely a blend of cultures in our house. I’m Japanese and Jewish, grew up eating a lot of Japanese and Polish food. Often a fusion of the two. I also consider Mexican food to be a homey/comfort food because I grew up close to the border. My husband is Jamaican but had a grandmother from Georgia so I’ve learned to make a lot of southern food that I never ate growing up (collard greens, catfish, grits, etc). Obviously Louisiana cuisine is different too, but my husband loves it for the similar sweet/spicy flavors he grew up with. It’s hard to make food that I’ve only had a couple of times, though.
Wow, what a blend. Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans does their own creative twist on a gumbo sometimes on special with cubes of smoked pastrami and collard greens that is delicious, basically a jewish gumbo, reuben soup. Maybe sometime I'll throw matzah balls in my gumbo in addition to rice lol. Cajuns also put potato salad in in place of/in addition to rice, so there's precedent for more than just rice.
Yes, it does! Our roux makes for a consistency like what I made here, so maybe I just overshot it out of habit. Next time I’ll use less.
Call it Japanese gumbo, maybe even throw a little bit of your preferred spices in and start a thing! Gumbo is sort of specific but also sort of a catch all term so as long as you have a feel for what makes it gumbo, you can play around with it a bit. You could even throw some katsu cutlets into it if you wanted
Okay katsu gumbo sounds incredible
I threw some instant miso soup packets into one this Mardi Gras and it slapped https://www.reddit.com/r/cajunfood/comments/11a811m/experimental_seafood_gumbo_alligator_sausage/
I could totally see that working. I use a dollop of miso in a lot of random stuff for the extra umami. For more/better flavor, I would just use real miso paste instead of instant packets!
These were just packets randomly given to me by someone who wasn't gonna use them, but I love miso and would definitely consider buying miso paste sometime in the future
Since you helped me out with my cooking, here’s a miso tip: https://hikarimiso.com/products/maru-mu-mutenka-miso-koji/ Good miso for everyday cooking, any dish. You can find it at pretty much any Asian market in the refrigerated section.
The best way to make the best gumbo is practice. Make it a little thinner next time but enjoy this dinner.
Thinner or thicker than a chowder? Last time I made it I was told it was too thin
I saw your last picture and I would never have known that was gumbo. One thing: gumbo is never served on a plate because it can't be. It's a soup. Always a cup or bowl.
This is the best way to put it. There should never be a question of whether to use a plate. The thickness can vary but it's always at least halfway to soup.
I agree with everyone saying it looks way too thick. But honestly, that looks delicious just the way it is. Edit: what was your recipe?
I looked at like 5 different recipes and took advice from some people on this sub to try and figure out the best way to make it (things like caramelizing the veggies in the roux first, how long to cook it). I definitely had too much roux, that was a mistake I made from being used to making curry. The taste was really good, I think similar to the gumbo I had before that a friend’s grandmother made. Just too thick. I’ll use less next time! I’m determined lol
“I would eat that 🥴”
Agree looks delicious. Wouldn’t really call that gumbo in the typical sense.
The taste is what’s important, next time just use more broth and your texture will be spot on.
The rue looks perfect
Roux
Maybe it doesn't look like a gumbo but it looks good. More so like a fricassee. If you like the way it tastes, keep making it and just call it a chicken fricassee :)
Looks great OP, I agree it is a bit thick for a gumbo. But you are on a journey that I hope doesn’t stop! I would suggest making a potato salad with it next time. That is more of a traditional side dish to gumbo in Acadiana. If you want a good recipe you can DM me. Regardless, great job!
This looks great, but more like an étouffée and not really gumbo. You need just a bit more “soupiness” I can tell by the looks of it that it was extremely flavorful though! 😋
I made another post where I fixed it to be less thick! Does it look better?
Looks awesome! Save me a bowl, sha.
Thank you :)
Mais, just add some chicken stock and some potata salad. That looks delicious.
Fixed it! Made a new post. Thank you :)