While okra is one cultural source (African), filé is an American Indian contribution. Lousianan people I've known add the filé right to their bowl as a seasoning after the gumbo is served up. It was a table spice like pepper.
I am from New Orleans. My family were some of the original settlers. I am both Creole and Cajun. Nothing gets under our skin more than when people who visited once suddenly think they’re experts in our cuisine. New Orleans cuisine is MUCH more sophisticated than southern food. Thank you for making a legitimate gumbo!!!! I would eat that. Coming from a native, that’s a HIGH compliment.
I’ve never actually had gumbo but this looks so comforting and delicious! I love how you include the history of every dish you make! You have become my favorite RU-vid channel! Such a lovely person! I hope you have a lovely day! 😊
Whenever I find myself in a murderous rage I come here to let Mr. McGrady's soothing peaceful voice calm me down and as a nice bonus I wind up with a great recipe.
Where I used to work, there was a cajun cookbook from the 90s in the office. I used to sit in there and read it if i had chance for a break. First thing i remembered reading was about the roux and the cajun holy trinity. Years later when the building was closing down, i snuck back in there to retrieve it.
That was perhaps the best gumbo tutorial I have ever seen. You have such a great command and understanding of food and cooking. It's no wonder you cooked for the royal family for so many years. I always look forward to your videos. I hope the state of Texas appreciates what a gift they have in you.
@@BP-or2iu It's too bad there are probably thousands of recipes in the south for it so your idea or my idea may completely differ from hundreds or thousands of other peoples.
@@BIackCadillac What if you didn't make a roux, put it over mashed potatoes, and used box choy and cauliflower and eggplants for all the meat, plus some beans... would that be a gumbo?
Thank you for acknowledging the Native American contribution to this dish. My in-laws are from a Native tribe in Louisiana and the tribes in that area are often forgotten but they taught the settlers how to use the local plants since they'd been living there for thousands of years 🤍
@@gwendolyn7462 Wouldn't it be wonderful if Chef did some Cherokee dishes? That's how we learn about cultures. Their food, music, art, medicines, etc. God bless.
@@gwendolyn7462 As a descendant of the Laurentian Mohawk, I urge you to be very proud of your Cherokee heritage. Your tribe survived every effort to assimilate and eliminate your culture and, when that failed, they attempted to commit genocide and failed. You can claim descent from some of the toughest and most cohesive ethnic groups on the continent.
Yes, but if you know anything about West African cuisine, I am not sure how Native Americans made a contribution to this dish. Most of Southern Cuisine-except in Louisiana (West African, French, and British), is in fact, West African and British. The SLAVES were the cooks who brought plants and seeds from there, so please enlighten me.
I’ve been working a pan as a fairly advanced home cook for the past 40 years, so I knew all of these things already… But I watched the video to the end because your presentation style is so spot on, clear and detailed without being over bearing, that I had to watch! You’re about on a level with Jaques Pepin and I think that’s just awesome!
I applaud you good sir for actually making a decent gumbo. Many times I have seen videos of other people trying to make something else and pass it off as a Gumbo. As someone who was born and raised in South Louisiana, I have grown very picky about what is considered actual Gumbo and 'fancy soup.' I do understand that other people out there make it their way or try something different, and that is okay... though it will not win any seal of approval by Cajun. But you have constructed what I would consider a REAL Gumbo, sticking to original recipe with a few tweaks here and there. I could make this and gladly serve it to my co-workers and or neighbors and call it a Gumbo. Thank you for not adding Tomatoes.
Cajun boy here, although it looks delicious, it's not really an authentic gumbo. We don't combine seafood and meat generally with some exceptions, and never add (crawfish), tomatoes, paprika, basil, or colored peppers. Not a snob here, but I know gumbo. My roux is usually a dark mahogany which he didn't achieve, but close, and takes more time than most chefs-cooks want to spend to prevent that bitter taste. We take pride in our gumbos down here. Where the heck is the garlic, bay leaves and white pepper?
Thank you so much for making the Gumbo. I was living 11 years in the Gambia and remember eating this several times. Of the ingredients I do miss the habanero. When my ex wife made it, she also chopped the habanero, but for me, I boil them whole together with the peppers, celery and onions and as you, adding the okra at the end with the chicken and the shrimps. It was not easy to get crawfish. Thanks again for reminding me to make Gumbo again. You're such a "darling" Mr. McGrady.
I am simmering a duck and andouille sausage gumbo right now, here in south Louisiana. My recipe comes from one of Paul Prudhomme’s cookbooks and your recipe is like his recipe. There are crawfish ponds on both sides of my country home and the teal ducks were hunted fresh two days ago. With a duck or a speckle-bellied goose gumbo, the only difference is to use beef bone broth instead of chicken broth, to add wild mushrooms to the gumbo, and to ladle the gumbo over cooked brown rice or wild rice. Remembering to add fresh chopped green onions and parsley to the gumbo before serving, and giving the two additions a 5 minute pot- simmer adds a beautiful green color and a nuanced flavor to the gumbo. Now you’re ready for an organic gumbo that is good too!
Seeing your gumbo brings back some good memories. I had the great opportunity to visit New Orleans while in my freshman year of college. I went there with one of my classes during my spring break of that year. It was my first time down in the southern parts of the U.S., and I had the gumbo in New Orleans, which was so delicious! I was worried I wasn't gonna like it, but my first bite in, I was addicted.
The gumbo that you are making looks absolutely fabulous! Lots of spices, healthy ingredients and amazing sauce/ gravy! This gumbo recipe is wonderful to know about, especially since the cold weather will arrive soon and everybody loves a hot bowl of soup for lunch and/ or dinner! Thank you for sharing this recipe, Master Chef Darren McGrady. Again, thank you.
Thank you! I spend some time in New Orleans, in order to learn the cuisine. I'll never make it properly, but it's a start. As I live in a landlocked state, I use bone broth from local cattle and slow simmered chuck for the meat. Love your roux, that's just perfect mate. Enjoy!
@Dead Thomas - Tips from a Cajun - born in Mamou and raised in Ville Platte, Louisiana. Take the beef out. No beef bone broth and no Chuck. Use chicken broth or turkey broth. For protein, use chicken and sausage or just go with shrimp or crawfish and crab. Beef belongs in stew, but not gumbo. Also, use Slap Ya Mama seasoning or Tony Chachere’s seasoning too! C’est Bon! Good Luck!
LOVED that you stuck with the traditional, “Deep South” New Orleans Gumbo!! Absolutely Fabulous recipe. My only addition is, Garlic. Holy trinity, onion, celery, bell peppers. Only a True Deep Southerner could tell you it’s actually 4 ingredients in the holy trinity. You just missed the garlic. GREAT JOB!! Would love to see you do a crawfish étouffée or crawfish bisque. Love your content!!
@@Dragoncam13 Of course it does. My point is that it's from SoLA and so that "Southern gumbo" or a gumbo from anywhere else is just an imitation. It's like shrimp and grits. That is a SC dish that was imported across the south.Same with gumbo. it's not a "southern" dish. It's a south Louisiana dish. And New Orleans gumbo is the inferior style within Louisiana. Much better over in Lafayette and Lake Charles.
@@BP-or2iu Amen man,best gumbo is always from the south western parishes of Louisiana and no one can do shrimp and grits like people from Carolina and that’s why it’s always worth traveling man.
@@Dragoncam13 I like Louisiana style shrimp and grits better, personally. But it is always great in SC. I just like the rich shrimp stock sauce that we use in Louisiana.
Darren thanks for the history along with the recipe. My gumbo is nearly identical to yours and it's taken me 20 years to perfect my roux technique. My daughter who lived a couple years in New Orleans said it is very authentic. As always thanks for your great videos!
Thank you for acknowledging the brilliance, talent, and resilience of my African ancestry found in this iconic dish. You're the best teacher on the internet.
I just love your recipes, you're so friendly and you present them so well, will definitely be trying the gumbo, maybe even try the British fusion idea :)
I made this tonight. The best batch of gumbo I have ever made, huge win with the family. Alterations: No okra or file, we didn't have either and I have never used it, so I chanced not using it. It still thickened nicely with some careful reduction. Smoked Spanish style chorizo instead of andouille sausage. Andouille is extremely hard to find here and chorizo is readily available, so it's my usual sub. Thank-you very much
Love watching your videos. I noticed the okra was too old. It had grown too large and will be tough. Try to get okra a third that size or less. It makes a huge difference.
I discovered that okras can be large or small: It depends on their type. In Greece, I buy small ones only, in oriental shops, in Italy, I find large okras but they are usually not tough.
I make my Gumbo roux with butter. First, I toast the flour in the oven until it turns a cinnamon colour. Toasted flour tastes really 'nutty'. It takes the Cajun Gumbo to the next level! Sometimes I add diced tomatoes too (Creole Gumbo). Pro TIP/HACK: soak the sliced okra in water with a bit of vinegar in it....gets rid of some of the slime
I used to live in New Orleans and still visit often. My mouth is watering just thinking of an amazing bowl of seafood gumbo. I think of it like chili, so many different recipes but soooo many are just so freaking good, from the really rich and hearty deeper flavored gumbos to the lighter what I call “brothy” versions.
What a great lesson in cooking one of the dishes I love most to cook. Thank you for the explanation between the use of file and okra. On another note, haven't seen anything from you since Her Majesty ER passed. I hope you and your family are well and there is a new show on the horizon. Such a pleasure to spend those few minutes with you.
As a person who grew up in New Orleans, this is legit. Now, there are some purists who will argue that a "true gumbo" is only chicken and sausage. Anything else is just a creole stew. But still, this recipe is spot on and the history is accurate af. One caveat, I always add 2-4 bay leaves. It gives it a little sumthin' sumthin'. Very nice.
@@mckernan603 I add a little salt after adding stock. Then taste as I go, adding salt as needed, in layers. You can't take out salt once you've added too much. But you can always add more later.
Chicken and sausage is just one type of gumbo though. There are all kinds… seafood okra gumbo, seafood filé gumbo, chicken and sausage filé gumbo (some people even put okra in it too instead of filé), shrimp and okra gumbo, duck and andouille gumbo, seafood-chicken-okra gumbo (or omit the okra and use filé), gumbo z’herbes etc. many people in the New Orleans area put hot sausage (chaurice/hot link) in their gumbos while many in Acadiana put tasso in their gumbo…New Orleans also often uses tomato in a seafood gumbo too..while some don’t in New Orleans don’t…also regular ham can go in a gumbo too and a leftover ham on the bone from the holidays makes a special gumbo… and don’t forget the thanksgiving gumbos made with turkey (and usually smoked sausage) there are just so many gumbos for someone to say anything that is not a chicken and sausage gumbo is not a gumbo. Who ever thinks that doesn’t know much about gumbos in Louisiana. Most gumbos in Louisiana have a roux in them… gumbo has the influences from the three cultural elements of Louisiana cooking: European, African and Native American. You got the roux from the French, the smoked sausage from the Germans and the andouille an Acadian-German fusion, the holy trinity (onion, celery, green bell pepper) from a mix of the French mirepoix and bell pepper from the Spanish sofrito), African okra, Native American filé etc it’s south Louisiana in a bowl… 8th ward Marigny St. here…
You've broken down that in such an easy way, I'm going to try my hands at it, I didn't know you could make a deeper roux, I always stopped when it started smelling like cooked pastries before adding my milk for mac n cheese, I might try to formulate a dirty mac and cheese experiment with a mahogany roux and some interesting meats and cheeses; thanks for the inspiration!
The chocolate roux is the key to a good gumbo. I like okra, so i always add it. Its a cheap delicious meal actually it was poor folk food. You could make a pot of gumbo and stretch it to feed a crowd. Add bits and pieces of what ever you had around. We added boiled eggs or shrimp or catfish what ever was left over end of week meal.
@@natviolen4021 it is very important to get a deep roux color because that forms the entire flavor base of the gumbo. Keep practicing. If you keep at it you'll get it perfect, just don't step away from it for even a minute. Cheers from NoLa.
@@Gamekrayz Thanks for taking you time to respond. Although the answer is how I feared. My roux always gets bitter, no matter what I do. My last attempt: using a heavy cast iron pot over very low heat. I stirred for 45 min watching over it like an eagle. The colour was right, the taste bitter although I couldn't spot any burned bits. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be and I just should settle for calling it pungent.
Darren, I just stumbled upon your videos and I am glad I did. I love your style of cooking and the way you teach as well. I love this gumbo recipe, it is so close to the way I make my own. Looking forward to watching your other videos. Thank you sir and I hope all is well.
Wow! I’m a Louisianan raised in the England system - I knew this was legit when I heard you pronounce New Orleans correctly and referred to the holy trinity! Yes the roux is the foundation, as my mama said to me take the roux as dark as you dare…. This dish is my anchor to my memories of the kitchen and mother, truly our family heirloom (I’ve taught both my kids and it’s their favourite too). We traditionally had Gumbo after Xmas - Louisiana Turkey Gumbo. Making a delicious stock from the turkey carcass and using the shed meat from said bird. The prawns or crawfish were generally what we could get fresh - living in the Middle East we added gigantic prawns from the Persian Gulf. Anyway great memories watching this and I thank you. Loving browsing your other recipes now, an amazing repertoire and such lovely stories. Love the idea of a gumbo served in a. Giant Yorkshire - that would tick a lot of boxes for me!
I brown the already cooked andouille sausage , remove from pan and sauté the trinity in the fat. make the roux separately, then combine with trinity . Add the seasonings and okra. add liquid and cook the gumbo until the vegetables disappear into the sauce. Then add the shrimp and sausage at end. My family prefers a thin gumbo. Serve with rice
I learned a lot during this vid. Thank you for the the info about the roux. I would consider you a Masterchef since you cook all kinds of international cuisine and you're very knowledgeable about your craft.
Master Chef isn’t even apropos …. This guy is off the charts! Great chef: food historian; author and tremendously talented teacher with just the right sprinkle of comedy. He’s got it all in abundance. We’re so fortunate to have him on this side of the Pond, are we not?
First off, from a US born next door (New Mexico) with roots from across the pond, absolutely enjoy you show! Your English humor reminds me of my grandmother (s)! Carry on! Don't listen to these nay Sayers about your intro with Winston! LOVE your segments. Grew up on fried breakfasts of fresh eggs, tomatoes, bacon / ham and raspberries & Cream. You are teaching me more about my family food heritage. You make a lot of things my grandmother and mother made, and now I know where it came from. Thank you for being YOU and sharing so much of your background. Lovely, absolutely lovely!
In my naive youthful ignorance, I once made my first "mahogany" roux for a gumbo in a nonstick pan. Need I say more? For anyone who doesn't understand, by the time it reached that stage, part of the nonstick surface was missing at the bottom of the pan that then went straight into a dumpster. :(
Hi from Louisiana! I Love your videos, Chef! As you might imagine this video is particularly interesting to me.... You did Good work on that gumbo, I could almost smell it from here! Beautiful.... We have some food snobs among my South Louisiana brethren. "You don't put tomatoes in gumbo!" (unless you're Creole). I tell you what I think... I think that some Cajun out in the swamps somewhere opened his fridge and took what he had, made a roux, threw what he had in there with the stock, and called it gumbo. I know this goes back to other continents, but just some little story I think of when ever I hear the food snobs chime in on how you're supposed to do it. Your gumbo, Chef, looks Wonderful! It will be cooler here next week... you got me in the mood for a gumbo, I believe ❤ Love You Chef! You have So Many Wonderful recipes... Always can't wait for your next vid. God bless❤
My esteemed lord ... thickening is not the only purpose of file (sassafras). The flavor that sassafras imparts is out of this world. I'm 51 years old now, but in my 20s I worked for a Louisiana restaurant institution, and I tasted the gumbo with and without file. You do not need to add it during cooking, but ALWAYS add it to your personal bowl!
Yes! Try it - gumbo is delicious! The hardest part is having patience when making the roux - and after that easy! (The powder he mentioned is file'.) 😀
Ur gumbo came out looking delicious, bet it tasted good as well. Might i say, at 12:40-12:50, i just wanna add that my Grandma used to cook okra gumbo when she couldn.t afford to make seafood gumbo at times. But she would use okra,file,and rue along with her special blends of herbs and spices made the gumbo taste amazing. It's always amazing how family members by the #'s would fly out from different cities to eat my grandma's gumbo, especially the seafood version. Thank u for sharing ur version.
Time for a trip back to Blighty! Or-REG-uh-no? BAY-zil? They've got to you! Haha. Seriously though, it would be lovely if you did a location video in England. Love your videos and the Gumbo looks yummy. x
The "holy trinity" in Cajun cuisine and Louisiana Creole cuisine is the base for several dishes in the regional cuisines of Louisiana and consists of onions, bell peppers and celery.
You can cook that roux in the oven and save your armHeat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large cast iron skillet, whisk together the flour and oil to make a paste. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 90 minutes to 2 hours for a dark roux, stirring every 30 minutes. Once the roux has achieved your desired color, transfer to a storage container or a gumbo-cooking vessel and proceed with the recipe.
Never tried gumbo but always wanted to. Travelled a lot (not southern USA) and never seen it anywhere! Anyway, I will give your recipe a go this weekend, thankyou.
I've enjoyed the video... I'll try it for sure.... Wow... thanks. I love you for your diverse culture in trying recipes.... I'm Kenyan🇰🇪.... I'm looking into what recipe to share with you...😜
In southwest Louisiana seafood and meat are not mixed in gumbo. There is a chicken and sausage gumbo, a shrimp and okra gumbo, a seafood gumbo with crab, shrimp and oysters, In addition there is Gumbo des Herbes aka "Gumbo Zeb" which is vegetarian with greens and okra. The basil , tyme and oregano are not used and would alter the DNA of the flavor. Cayenne pepper, black pepper, roux, onions and sometimes green bell pepper are the base flavors. Green onion tops and parlsey, tobasco sauce are garnishes as well as filé which is sassafras powder .
Hi Darren, just found your channel and really enjoying it. I have made many gumbos and use the Paul Prudhomme recipe, very similar to yours but I fry the chicken in a dusting of flour and spices mainly chilli and garlic powder then make the roux with the left over flour. The results look similar to yours but yours is a bit quicker to do. I live in Stapleford, Notts and have been to your favorite butcher in Sherwood but tend to use ones on the west side of Nottingham closer to me and one amazing one in Little Eaton. All the best for now Helen.
I am not a big fan of the slime of okra and i flash fry them n dry out or fry them out and then use them. But i get inspired by many of your techniques and all in all im empowered as a cook ❤..also being a serious mom cook myself im from mangalore ..i can identify the quiet self confidence of a your personality and true interest and passion in your job....stay blessed❤
That’s no joke btw about roux getting hot. I once got splashed by a hot roux because I was being a cowboy cook and it is like napalm. Because of the flour it cools in contact with your skin and fuses with it. Panicking and pulling it off only takes more skin and that’s why I have that scar to this day.
Same for me. When my mom was teaching me how to make a roux (many, many years ago) I got splashed too. And also still have that scar. Maybe it’s a rite of passage when you learn to make a roux 😁
Yep That looks legit.. my favorite gumbo is duck with a lot of Andouille, ( Andouille is a flavoring as much as a "meat" with the darker roux), chocolate sauce Roux ( I use olive oil) , file , a little heavy on the onion and garlic, I always put in black pepper in last. if at all. I like gumbo a little on the soupy side and serve with nice French bread. I
You’ve done a great job and great justice to one of our cultural dishes. It is odd to see someone leave garlic and Bayleaf out of the dish, though. Growing up we’d never make it without garlic and bay leaves. Also, there is a very distinct difference between “southern food“ and what is actually Cajun Creole food. Gumbo fits into the latter category. We would never really consider it “southern” food. That is also its own distinct category. Gumbo is either Cajun or Creole, depending on the darkness of the roux and ingredients used. What you have made is what we would consider to be a Cajun gumbo; a very dark roux and no tomatoes. Creole gumbo would have a lighter (peanut butter) roux, and would also typically have tomatoes.
