Jambalaya in the Thermomix® brings everything together in one pot in 40 minutes: pork tenderloin, rice, prawns. No burning, no stirring. We have been making this stew for years because the reverse direction keeps the meat tender while the rice still cooks through.
The trick is in the order: sear the meat first, then toast the peppers with the rice, and only then add the liquid. If you put the rice straight into cold stock, it turns mushy. The three minutes of dry cooking at Varoma temperature form a thin starch layer around each grain. That keeps the grains firm to the bite even after 20 minutes in the coconut milk stock.
Caribbean Jambalaya with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 15 ✓
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 onion
- 300 g pork tenderloin
- 30 g rapeseed oil
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 250 g rice
- 400 g vegetable stock
- 400 g coconut milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 limes
- 200 g prawns
- 1 bunch parsley
Instructions 0 / 9
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1
Chop the garlic.
Peel the garlic, place in the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec / speed 8.
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2
Peel the onion, halve it, add to the bowl, chop for 3 sec / speed 5 and scrape down with the spatula.
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3
Cut the pork tenderloin into cubes, add with the oil and cook for 3 min / Varoma / reverse direction / speed 1.
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4
Meanwhile, wash the peppers, halve them, remove the seeds and stalk, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
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5
Add the peppers and rice to the mixing bowl and cook for 3 min / Varoma / reverse direction / speed 1.
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6
Add the vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt, pepper and chilli flakes and cook for 20 min / 90°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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7
Meanwhile, cut the limes into wedges, wash the parsley and pat dry.
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8
Add the prawns and heat for 5 min / 90°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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9
Serve garnished with parsley and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.
Tip: You can replace the prawns with 100 g of smoked salmon cut into strips.
Nutrition per serving
Why reverse direction is essential for meat stews
Without reverse direction, the Thermomix® shreds the pork tenderloin into fibres. Reverse direction turns the blade backwards so the liquid is only circulated. The meat stays in whole cubes. This applies to all stews with pieces of meat: goulash, chicken curry, chilli. At speed 1 without reverse direction you end up with shredded meat instead of cubes after 20 minutes.
The 90°C after the initial frying is enough because the pork tenderloin was already pre-cooked for three minutes at Varoma temperature. Together that amounts to roughly 95°C core temperature. Prawns need only five minutes at 90°C at the end, otherwise they turn rubbery.
Half coconut milk, half vegetable stock
Classic jambalaya cooks only in broth. We replace half of that with coconut milk. This gives the rice a creamy texture and softens the heat of the chilli flakes. If you use only vegetable stock, the stew tastes flat. If you use only coconut milk, the rice becomes too rich and the Caribbean spicing gets lost.
The ratio of 400 g stock to 400 g coconut milk for 250 g rice is fixed. Less liquid and the rice stays hard. More liquid and it turns soupy. The Thermomix® evaporates nothing because the lid stays closed.
Cut the peppers by hand, do not blend them
Peppers do not belong in the Thermomix® for chopping. The soft pieces turn to mush at speed 5. Cut both peppers by hand into bite-sized pieces, roughly 2 x 2 cm. That size stays firm to the bite after 23 minutes of cooking and gives the dish structure.
Red and yellow peppers stay sweeter than green ones. Green peppers add a bitter note that does not work with the coconut milk. If you only have one colour, use two red ones. Yellow peppers are milder, red ones have more sweetness.
Prawns or smoked salmon at the end
Prawns should cook for no more than five minutes at 90°C. Any longer and they turn tough. Frozen prawns thaw in the first two minutes, then cook through for three minutes. Fresh prawns are done after three minutes. You can tell by the pink colour and firm texture.
If you use smoked salmon instead of prawns, add it to the mixing bowl only after cooking has finished. Smoked salmon is already cooked and breaks apart with heat. 100 g of salmon cut into strips is enough for four servings. Stir it in with the spatula with the Thermomix® switched off so it does not shred.
Lime at the table, not in the pot
Lime juice does not belong in the stew during cooking. The acidity causes the coconut milk to curdle. It looks like curdled milk and tastes bitter. Cut the limes into wedges and put them on the table. Each person squeezes their own portion. The acidity lifts the sweetness of the coconut milk and cuts through the heat of the chilli flakes.
Wash the parsley, pat dry and chop roughly. Scatter it over the stew only when serving. If you let it cook along, it turns brown and loses its flavour.
Reheating in the Thermomix® without burning
Leftovers keep in the fridge for three days. To reheat, put the stew back in the mixing bowl and warm it for 10 min / 80°C / reverse direction / speed 1. No higher, otherwise the coconut milk burns on the base. Reverse direction prevents the meat and prawns from falling apart.
Freezing does not work well. The prawns turn rubbery after thawing, and the rice loses its bite. If you want to cook ahead, freeze only the base without prawns and rice. Add fresh rice and prawns when reheating.
Goes well with: Baguette, flatbread and mango chutney.
More Thermomix® stews: One-pot salmon pasta, potato soup, chilli con carne.
