Cajun Turkey Etouffee with Rice
A one-pot etouffee built from dried vegetables and a foil pack of turkey, thickened with cornstarch instead of a roux.
- calories
- 690
- weight
- 6.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 106
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Foil-pouch turkey or chicken | 2 pouches, about 5 oz each | canned works at a car camp, pouches carry better |
|---|---|---|
| Instant white rice | 1 1/2 cups dry | |
| Dried diced onion | 1/3 cup | |
| Dried diced celery | 1/4 cup | |
| Dried bell pepper flakes | 1/4 cup | red and green if you have both |
| Cajun seasoning | 2 tbsp | check the salt level before you add more |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Dried parsley | 1 tbsp | |
| Chicken bouillon | 2 tsp | |
| Tomato paste | 2 tbsp | the squeeze tube keeps without a cooler |
| Cornstarch | 1 tbsp | |
| Olive or canola oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Hot sauce | 1 tsp | small dropper bottle |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Put the dried onion, celery, and pepper in the pot with 300 ml of water and the bouillon. Bring it to a boil and hold it there five minutes so the vegetables actually rehydrate.
- Stir in the oil, tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, and oregano. Let it simmer two minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch with a splash of cold water in your cup, then pour it in while stirring. It will tighten up fast.
- Add the turkey with its liquid and the hot sauce. Simmer three minutes, then pull it off the heat and keep it covered.
- In the same pot or a second one, boil 300 ml of water, dump in the instant rice, cover, and stand it five minutes off the heat.
- Spoon the etouffee over the rice and scatter the parsley on top. Salt at the end, not before.
The original is a deep-fried turkey leg sitting in a butter roux, which is two things you cannot do on a stove in the dirt. The turkey becomes a foil pouch, the butter becomes oil, and the roux becomes cornstarch. Cornstarch thickens in under a minute and does not need the twenty minutes of stirring a real roux demands, so nothing scorches while you are watching the light go.
The dried trinity is doing more work than it looks like. Onion, celery, and pepper need a real boil, not a soak, or they stay leathery and the sauce tastes like seasoned water. Give them the full five minutes before anything else goes in. Tomato paste from a tube adds body and a little acid without a can to pack out.
Packing
Dried vegetables, seasoning, bouillon, cornstarch, and parsley go in one bag as a premix. Rice in its own bag. Tomato paste tube, oil, and hot sauce ride upright in a side pocket.
Variations
- Cook the rice first and stir it straight into the sauce if you only carry one pot.
- Freeze-dried shredded chicken cuts about four ounces of pack weight per serving; add 100 ml more water for it.
- A spoon of dark roux powder in place of the cornstarch gets you closer to the original color and flavor.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/cajun-fried-turkey-leg-etouffee