You can make shrimp gumbo without wheat flour.
Gumbo is a traditional stew-like dish that begins with making a roux. Roux is a French sauce base made from flour and butter or oil, carefully whisked together while hot to create a smooth, tasty thickener. Yet, many people are choosing to avoid wheat flour due to allergies or other issues. You can still enjoy making gumbo at home without flour by using cornstarch, alternative flours, or file (pronounced fee-LAY) powder.
Instructions
Make a Roux with Alternative Flours
1. Measure out 1 cup of rice flour, quinoa flour, oat flour or whatever non-wheat flour you have on hand. Measure 1 cup of vegetable oil or melted butter. Place both in a heavy skillet or sauce pan made of aluminum or cast iron. Do not use a non-stick pan because the coating may burn off and taint your roux.
2. Turn the stove to medium heat and stir the mixture with a large spoon until the flour and oil or butter are incorporated.
3. Stir constantly as the mixture heats and begins to bubble. If you stop stirring, the flour may burn and fleck the roux with black bits. At that point, you must start over from the beginning.
4. Remove the roux from heat once you've reached the color you desire. Cajun cooks prefer a peanut butter colored roux color whereas Creole cooks use a mahogany, or very dark brown, roux. After the roux is complete, follow your recipe to make the rest of the gumbo.
Use a Thickening Agent
5. Prepare the gumbo as if it were a soup. That is, do not prepare a roux. Instead, start with the broth part of the recipe. Continue on with the rest of the ingredients.
6. Add file powder or cornstarch to the gumbo just before serving. For cornstarch, add approximately 1 tablespoon for every 2 cups of liquid. File powder does not require any exact amount, so it is necessary to monitor it. Sprinkle the file powder over the gumbo and continue heating and stirring the pot.
7. Sprinkle more file powder and stir, if you desire further thickening. Do note that file powder will not provide the thickest gumbo, and using too much creates a stringy texture that is unappetizing. For additional cornstarch thickening, sprinkle a very small amount on top and quickly stir it into the gumbo.
Tags: file powder, flour butter, wheat flour