Manufacturer: Cajun Heat
Website: http://www.cajunheat.com
Ingredients: Garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, spices
I recently received a package I wasn’t expecting. In fact, I received 5 packages in one day. I looked like a maniac carrying them back to my cubicle at work and unpacking box after box of hot sauce, salsa and chili powder. Among those boxes was one from Cajun Heat, which contained one bottle of Liquid Napalm, and one container of Voodoo Ash.
Never having reviewed a seasoning, powder or rub, and rarely using them (besides to mix chili powder with sauces in need of heat), I was a little at odds about what I should do. Firstly, I don’t have a point of comparison. Secondly, it’s a Cajun style spice (as the brand implies), and while I am a big fan of Bayou food, I’ve never cooked any myself. So, what could we do but try our hand at cooking up some Cajun staples?
There is a recipe on www.cajunheat.com for jambalaya. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up the ingredients. We grabbed the rice and shrimp (regular size, not jumbo), and then got to the sausage. The recipe called for “spicy sausages,” and coming from Rhode Island, that gives us two options: Hot Italian, or chouriço (pronounced: shə-DEES, unless you’re capable of palatalization, in which case it is shə-ŖEES). For those who aren’t native to RI, Massachusetts or the Açores, chouriço is the Portuguese version of chorizo. It’s virtually identical to its Spanish and Mexican relative, but it’s made with wine, it’s spicier and has less paprika. Due to the large Portuguese population here, it’s easier to find chouriço than chorizo. Not that it matters – for the jambalaya, we used the Hot Italian. Epic digression!
We don’t own a Dutch oven, and I didn’t feel like purchasing one for the recipe – this may have been a small mistake. Dutch ovens are infinitely useful, and we should really own one. We substituted with a pot, and what’s more, we couldn’t find the lid, so we just made a make-shift tin-foil one. I’ll tell you now, it’s not the same. It doesn’t retain heat well enough to cook that amount of food in a reasonable amount of time. It took us additional hours to cook the jambalaya, because the rice just wasn't taking in the broth. I'm sure if we'd cooked it in the proper wares, it would have been much faster.
As an afterthought, I showed the recipe to a buddy I work with who is from the Bayou region, and he commented that there’s not quite enough meat in it. He felt it should have 50% more meat, preferably pork. As it is, it’s a little heavy on the rice. That doesn’t mean it’s not authentic by any means. But after having it, I’d follow the advice of my coworker. It could use more meat, and two pounds of pork would be perfect. Doubling the amount of sausage would work just as well. That is, unless you’re in the mood for a rice dish with meat. I’d prefer a meat dish with rice.
The jambalaya was fantastic. That Voodoo Ash really ramps it up – the heat is impressive for a powder (my wife can only have small servings at a time – the whole while insisting how good it is), and the spice combinations are awesome. I can’t imagine a more authentic tasting seasoning if you’re in the mood for Cajun. I guess at some point I should mention the recipe will feed like 30 people – we’ve been eating it for a couple weeks and we’re just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Every day I’ve been going home dreading eating the same old thing, but I have one bite and those dark clouds lift away to reveal a golden path paved with bunny-bricks, and fat-happy alligators along either side, singing away. And even though everyone knows that those alligators are there to eat the bunny-bricks as soon as our backs are turned, we don't mind, because the important thing is they’re spending time with us. That’s a testament to how good this stuff is. Even though I’m not in the mood for it (eating the same thing for dinner for a week straight will do that), it’s still incredibly satisfying. I’m going to try a gumbo next…
I also had the Ash in an omelette, and it was wonderful. I would have preferred a frittata, but I wasn’t cooking. C'est la vie… Not that I don't appreciate being cooked for, I do! My wife is a most excellent cook. And beautiful as well! But I digress, again… The flavor is hard to describe, especially so since it’s used as an ingredient and I just can’t bring myself to eat a big spoonful of the powder – more because it would be a waste than out of trepidation. The cayenne brings enough heat to the mix to satisfy, and the garlic and onion really just work to balance more than anything. I don’t know what “spices” are used, but herein lies the awesome core of this seasoning. You can easily turn any meal into a Cajun beast by just adding some Ash.
The Ash has enough body and varietal je ne sais quoi to just work magic. There is absolutely no need to add other spices here to round out the flavor – Ash has it all, and in spades. I’m hugely looking forward to cooking with it again! Thank you cajunheat for the wonderful samples - a Liquid Napalm review is also in the works!
Flavor: 9.5/10, a veritable Cajun seasoning bomb!
Heat: From Nada to Naga, 5/10. Hot enough to hold its own.
Website: http://www.cajunheat.com
Ingredients: Garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, spices
I recently received a package I wasn’t expecting. In fact, I received 5 packages in one day. I looked like a maniac carrying them back to my cubicle at work and unpacking box after box of hot sauce, salsa and chili powder. Among those boxes was one from Cajun Heat, which contained one bottle of Liquid Napalm, and one container of Voodoo Ash.
Never having reviewed a seasoning, powder or rub, and rarely using them (besides to mix chili powder with sauces in need of heat), I was a little at odds about what I should do. Firstly, I don’t have a point of comparison. Secondly, it’s a Cajun style spice (as the brand implies), and while I am a big fan of Bayou food, I’ve never cooked any myself. So, what could we do but try our hand at cooking up some Cajun staples?
There is a recipe on www.cajunheat.com for jambalaya. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up the ingredients. We grabbed the rice and shrimp (regular size, not jumbo), and then got to the sausage. The recipe called for “spicy sausages,” and coming from Rhode Island, that gives us two options: Hot Italian, or chouriço (pronounced: shə-DEES, unless you’re capable of palatalization, in which case it is shə-ŖEES). For those who aren’t native to RI, Massachusetts or the Açores, chouriço is the Portuguese version of chorizo. It’s virtually identical to its Spanish and Mexican relative, but it’s made with wine, it’s spicier and has less paprika. Due to the large Portuguese population here, it’s easier to find chouriço than chorizo. Not that it matters – for the jambalaya, we used the Hot Italian. Epic digression!
We don’t own a Dutch oven, and I didn’t feel like purchasing one for the recipe – this may have been a small mistake. Dutch ovens are infinitely useful, and we should really own one. We substituted with a pot, and what’s more, we couldn’t find the lid, so we just made a make-shift tin-foil one. I’ll tell you now, it’s not the same. It doesn’t retain heat well enough to cook that amount of food in a reasonable amount of time. It took us additional hours to cook the jambalaya, because the rice just wasn't taking in the broth. I'm sure if we'd cooked it in the proper wares, it would have been much faster.
As an afterthought, I showed the recipe to a buddy I work with who is from the Bayou region, and he commented that there’s not quite enough meat in it. He felt it should have 50% more meat, preferably pork. As it is, it’s a little heavy on the rice. That doesn’t mean it’s not authentic by any means. But after having it, I’d follow the advice of my coworker. It could use more meat, and two pounds of pork would be perfect. Doubling the amount of sausage would work just as well. That is, unless you’re in the mood for a rice dish with meat. I’d prefer a meat dish with rice.
The jambalaya was fantastic. That Voodoo Ash really ramps it up – the heat is impressive for a powder (my wife can only have small servings at a time – the whole while insisting how good it is), and the spice combinations are awesome. I can’t imagine a more authentic tasting seasoning if you’re in the mood for Cajun. I guess at some point I should mention the recipe will feed like 30 people – we’ve been eating it for a couple weeks and we’re just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Every day I’ve been going home dreading eating the same old thing, but I have one bite and those dark clouds lift away to reveal a golden path paved with bunny-bricks, and fat-happy alligators along either side, singing away. And even though everyone knows that those alligators are there to eat the bunny-bricks as soon as our backs are turned, we don't mind, because the important thing is they’re spending time with us. That’s a testament to how good this stuff is. Even though I’m not in the mood for it (eating the same thing for dinner for a week straight will do that), it’s still incredibly satisfying. I’m going to try a gumbo next…
I also had the Ash in an omelette, and it was wonderful. I would have preferred a frittata, but I wasn’t cooking. C'est la vie… Not that I don't appreciate being cooked for, I do! My wife is a most excellent cook. And beautiful as well! But I digress, again… The flavor is hard to describe, especially so since it’s used as an ingredient and I just can’t bring myself to eat a big spoonful of the powder – more because it would be a waste than out of trepidation. The cayenne brings enough heat to the mix to satisfy, and the garlic and onion really just work to balance more than anything. I don’t know what “spices” are used, but herein lies the awesome core of this seasoning. You can easily turn any meal into a Cajun beast by just adding some Ash.
The Ash has enough body and varietal je ne sais quoi to just work magic. There is absolutely no need to add other spices here to round out the flavor – Ash has it all, and in spades. I’m hugely looking forward to cooking with it again! Thank you cajunheat for the wonderful samples - a Liquid Napalm review is also in the works!
Flavor: 9.5/10, a veritable Cajun seasoning bomb!
Heat: From Nada to Naga, 5/10. Hot enough to hold its own.
