What is a Roux and Why is it So Crucial to Your Cajun Cooking?

If you’ve at any time ventured into the globe of Cajun cooking, or if you’ve got been around Cajun cooking, then you’ve in all probability heard the expression roux. This is a very standard component in a wide range of French, Creole and Cajun recipes. But what precisely is roux and what is its objective?

A roux is a mixture of flour and excess fat. The fat is typically in the type of butter or oil. A roux is the foundation for quite a few Cajun dishes these kinds of as gumbo, etouffees and sauce piquantes. Now let’s discover a small more about the various types of roux.

There are basically 3 types of roux:

There is gentle roux or what is referred to as “blond” roux. There is medium roux, normally recognized as “peanut butter” colored roux. Finally, there is dim roux. The shade of roux establishes the style of the roux.

Producing great roux arrives with apply. The preparation and the color of the roux is dependent upon the cooking time. If you are striving to accomplish a “blond” roux, you will need to cook your roux only 4 to 5 minutes. If you want to get the smoky taste of a dim roux, you may possibly have to cook dinner it for twenty five minutes at a large heat or up to an hour at a low warmth.

Now the toughest part of generating roux is the fact that it need to be stirred consistently. This suggests there is definitely no halting. You can’t solution the cellphone, go to the lavatory, chase your little ones out of the cookie jar, and so forth. Consistently signifies no stopping for even a several seconds. If you don’t constantly stir the roux, it will melt away.

You must also be extremely very careful when stirring the roux. It is extremely hot. If you start off to see black specks in your roux, then you have burned it. It will have to be thrown out and you need to have to start off over. Making a roux normally takes a great deal of patience and practice.

Roux with thicken your gumbo, sauces and etouffees and stews. If you want to achieve a roasted, nutty taste to any of your Cajun recipes, you should learn to make a darkish roux. But maintain in intellect that the dark roux has less thickening energy.  

So if you want to turn out to be a real Cajun or Creole prepare dinner, you ought to master to make a superior roux. This will grow to be the base for many of your dishes. But as you can see, you want to  be prepared to commit a large amount of time to your roux.