Jambalaya with Prawns and Serrano Ham is a ‘weekend meal’ requiring a bit of preparation and effort but the result is very much worth it. I get best results with Tilda Basmati rice and I always try to use some shell-on prawns – they will add more taste and look great!

Ingredients:
Serves 5:
- 500g tiger prawns – a combination of peeled and unpeeled
- 100g Serrano ham
- 500g long grain Basmati rice
- 400g canned tomatoes
- 750ml chicken stock
- 250g celery
- 250g red peppers
- 150g onion
- 15g garlic
- 100g butter
- 50g olive oil
- Handful chopped fresh coriander
- Chilli powder
- Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan/gas 2).
Rinse the rice well in warm water, drain thoroughly and fry shortly in a large frying pan/wok together with half the olive oil and finely chopped onions and garlic.
Add the chicken stock to the briefly sautéed rice, onions and garlic and bring to the boil. As soon as it starts boiling, cover with a lid and place into the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Take the rice out of the oven, transfer into a bowl and stir well to dry.
Chop the red peppers, celery stalks and the Serrano ham into small 0.5 cm – 1 cm pieces. Press the canned tomatoes through a coarse colander into a bowl.
Heat the remaining olive oil in large pan/wok. Add the prawns, ham, peppers and celery and sauté on a high heat. Stir in the rice, butter, a pinch of salt, black pepper and chilli powder and continue to sauté on a high heat, stirring continuously, until the rice starts to pop.
Add the pressed tomatoes, finely chopped coriander leaves and sauté again, until the rice starts popping again. The Jambalaya is ready when all the water from the tomatoes has evaporated and the rice is dry and slightly crispy.
Enjoy!
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