Kedgeree

 

If you love curry and you love fish there is no better way to marry these two things together on this planet than to have them in Kedgeree. The spices in Kedgeree are there more for aroma and flavour than for heat and the whole dish is a marriage made in heaven. This dish is probably not that well known outside India and the UK and frankly that surprises me a little. I think you’ll agree with me once you’ve had the good fortune to give it a go for yourself.

This is a lovely Indian dish using the wonderfully cold smoked cod loin. This dish could equally be made using any cold smoked white fish and traditionally it would have been made with haddock. Kedgeree originates from Victorian times and is thought to have been bought back from India by returning colonials who fell in love with the dish, bringing it back with them on their return to the UK. Kedgeree is traditionally eaten as a breakfast dish but can be eaten at any time of the day really.

Spicy rice, cold smoked white fish (traditionally haddock) and hard boiled eggs.

2 Large free range eggs

680 gms Cold Smoked white fish

2 Bay leaves

170 gms. Long grain rice

½ tsp. Sea salt

1 Knob salted Butter

1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

Half an inch of fresh ginger

3 spring onions chopped

1 clove garlic, grated

2 Tbsp. madras curry powder

1 Tbsp. black mustard seeds

2 Tomatoes seeded and chopped

4 or 5 runner beans chopped (optional)

Half a cup of frozen peas (optional)

Juice of half a lemon

2 handfuls of fresh coriander leaves (optional)

1 red chilli finely chopped.

2 cups of water

Method

Boil the eggs for 10 minutes and cool under water

Bring a shallow pan of water to the boil and remove the heat. Add the bayleaf and the fish, cover and let it stand for about five minutes. Remove the fish from the pan, remove the skin and flake the fish. Set this aside.

Heat a pan with one tablespoons of oil and a knob of butter, add the ginger onion and garlic. Soften for five minutes and add the curry powder, mustard seeds and rice, coating the rice with the melted ingredients. Add the water to the rice along with the optional runner beans and peas and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is cooked and the water has been absorbed.

Quarter the eggs, Add the flaked fish to the rice and mix together with the coriander and red chilli. Stir gently and place in a warm serving dish and garnish with the remaining coriander if you like. And there you go. I hope you enjoy it.