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Laundry
242 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington Open seven days Laundry is a funky little establishment located in a former drycleaners’ building at the southern end of Cuba St. Known for its cracking burgers, Laundry also serves a mean gumbo – a hearty stew hailing from southern Louisiana, with culinary influences to France, Spain, Germany, West Africa, and the Native American people.
Laundry’s gumbo
Serves 4 cup canola oil cup plain flour 1 small onion, finely diced 200g diced chicken 100g of chorizo cut in 1cm half moons 100g raw prawns red capsicum, diced green capsicum, diced celery stick, diced 100g okra, diced (available at Asian grocers)
100g lotus root, diced roughly (available at Asian grocers)
100g red potatoes (skins on), diced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
bunch of kale, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Creole spice 2 bay leaves 1 litre vegetable stock Salt, pepper, Kaitaia Fire sauce to season Hot cooked rice (equivalent of 1 cup, uncooked) Small amount of fresh coriander, to garnish
Combine flour and canola oil in a saucepan over a medium/low heat and stir constantly until the roux becomes a dark espresso colour. Remove from the heat and put aside.
Fry onion with a pinch of salt in canola oil in a large pot over a medium heat. When the onion begins to soften, add the chorizo and fry for another five minutes until the fats are released.
Add the chicken and fry for another minute. Add the capsicums, celery, garlic, potatoes, okra, and lotus root. Fry for five minutes. Add Creole spice and bay leaves, and stir.
Add the roux to the large pot and stir to combine ingredients.
Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender, stirring to prevent the gumbo from catching on the bottom of the pan.
Taste the gumbo, and season with salt, pepper, and Kaitaia Fire as required.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the finely sliced kale, which will soften from the residual heat.
Serve the gumbo over the hot cooked rice, with a sprinkling of chopped coriander.