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

If you’ve got ever ventured into the world of Cajun cooking, or if you’ve been around Cajun cooking, then you have in all probability listened to the time period roux. This is a pretty standard component in a wide variety of French, Creole and Cajun recipes. But what precisely is roux and what is its function?

A roux is a combination of flour and fats. The extra fat is commonly in the form of butter or oil. A roux is the foundation for lots of Cajun dishes this sort of as gumbo, etouffees and sauce piquantes. Now let’s find out a small far more about the distinct sorts of roux.

There are fundamentally 3 forms of roux:

There is gentle roux or what is referred to as “blond” roux. There is medium roux, in any other case recognized as “peanut butter” colored roux. At last, there is dim roux. The shade of roux decides the flavor of the roux.

Earning good roux arrives with observe. The planning and the color of the roux is dependent on the cooking time. If you are seeking to accomplish a “blond” roux, you need to cook your roux only 4 to five minutes. If you want to get the smoky taste of a darkish roux, you may perhaps have to cook it for twenty five minutes at a substantial warmth or up to an hour at a minimal warmth.

Now the most difficult component of producing roux is the actuality that it need to be stirred consistently. This indicates there is absolutely no halting. You can’t reply the cellphone, go to the toilet, chase your youngsters out of the cookie jar, etc. Continually usually means no stopping for even a few seconds. If you don’t continually stir the roux, it will burn.

You should also be pretty very careful when stirring the roux. It is incredibly incredibly hot. If you get started to see black specks in your roux, then you have burned it. It need to be thrown out and you need to have to get started around. Making a roux takes a whole lot of persistence and apply.

Roux with thicken your gumbo, sauces and etouffees and stews. If you want to accomplish a roasted, nutty taste to any of your Cajun recipes, you have to study to make a dim roux. But retain in thoughts that the dim roux has less thickening power.  

So if you want to become a legitimate Cajun or Creole prepare dinner, you have to understand to make a excellent roux. This will become the foundation for a lot of of your dishes. But as you can see, you need to have to  be ready to devote a great deal of time to your roux.