The Kedgeree I cook now and the Kedgeree I enjoyed as a child are two very different beasts. My mum used to make us Kedgeree the whole time and it was, and still is one of my all time ultimate comfort foods. My mum does not deal with spicy food well so our version as kids was made minus the spicy element.
The flavourings were classically British and the delicious mix of Egg, Smoked Haddock, Pea, Onion and the occasional rogue Bay Leaf were, I am unashamed to say, covered in Ketchup and richly enjoyed.
It was only after researching the dish at university did I come to understand it represents everything that is great with Modern (Modern is a loose interpretation of a dish that is potentially 220+ years old) British cuisine with the edition of the Indian Spices and
this will be something that I will cook for our child because it feels like a great way to pass on our real food heritage.
I know that this dish will end up being a firm family favourite in our house as the kicking, elbowing and general shenanigans that the Little Loaf got up to directly after TBH finished eating, is a good indicator of enjoyment level. Or at least it is in my mind, probably less so for TBH has the Loaf is using her Bladder as a punching bag currently!
It is hard to beat it as a dish because it has everything you could possibly need and want in an evening meal - a great source of protein and healthy fats, comforting rice and as many vegetables as you want. All whilst being incredibly quick to prepare and if you have a Rice Cooker, it is idiot proof.
TBH and I were craving this dish for weeks, her unsubtle hints of “We should eat more fish” had become more pronounced and with the moratorium on any ‘Curry Smells’ lifted from the nausea stages of early pregnancy. I felt the time was right for a proper bowl of Scotch/Indian Fusion supper
I like taking my time with my cooking in general, as it is my relaxation time but time is not always on your side and this dish is a very quick. It takes 20/30 minutes depending on how precise you want to be with the chopping of your vegetables and how quick you are with a knife. I also used a Patak’s Madras Curry Paste Pot as it is quick, tastes great and minimises the fuss in blending your own curry spice.
I do not use Milk or Cream to cook this because I am Lactose Intolerant (Use Classic Milk if you would like), the rice milk works well but you do need to re-balance with a little lemon juice at the end as rice milk can come out a little sweet even if you buy unsweetened versions. Also, use Yellow Dyed Haddock if you want, it has a level of nostalgia that can’t be replicated with natural coloured haddock. Long live the 80’s & 90’s, we turned out ok in the end!
All the best
Goose
Kedgeree – Serves 4
400g Smoked Haddock
400g Basmati Rice
800ml Unsweetened Rice Milk
1 Star Anise
5 Kaffir Lime Leaves
3 Cardamom Pods
Healthy Pinch of Salt
¾ Patak’s Madras Curry Pot (Korma spice pot is a better alternative if you do not enjoy Chilli )
½ Onion
1 Carrot
1 Stick Celery
4 Eggs
300g Frozen Peas (Leave them in a bowl to defrost at Room temp whilst cooking everything else)
½ Lemon – Squeezed
Pack of Bok Choi / Tenderstem Broccoli / Spinach
Handful of Chopped Parsley
Bring the rice milk to the boil with the Star Anise, Cardamom & Lime Leaves (If you don’t have lime leaves (add a bay leaf and piece of lime or lemon peel)
Allow the milk to boil for 5-10 mins to extract all the flavour from the spices.
Wash you rice thoroughly, at least 5/6 times in cool water to remove excess starch, this is crucial as it makes a big difference to the final product.
Once the milk is infused and boiling – add the Haddock and turn off the heat. This will gently poach the fish, not allow it to overcook and make it easy to peel the skin and flake later on.
Chop the Onion, Carrot & Celery into a fine dice, add ¾ of the Curry paste pot to veg oil in a sauce pan and sauté the vegetables on a medium low heat.
Once the fish has been sitting for 7 minutes it should be cooked, pour the contents of the sauce through the sieve. Reserve the fish for the final steps and the rice milk and spices will be used to cook the rice.
This is where it differs for people;
COOKING WITH A RICE COOKER -
Add the washed and drained rice to the sautéed curried veg (these should be firm to the touch still)
Sauté the rice with the veg for a few minutes and then scrape everything into you rice cooker.
Pour you warm milk & spices onto the rice, vegetables & curry mix, season with a little salt
Close the lid and allow to work it’s magic.
COOKING WITH A SAUCE PAN
Add the washed and drained rice to the sautéed curried veg (these should be firm to the touch still)
Sauté the rice with the veg for a few minutes and then add the rice milk to the pan, season with a little salt.
Bring this mix to a boil and then turn the heat all the way down to low.
Put a lid on top and do not touch this for 15/20 mins.
If you have a glass lid sauce pan this is great as you can see when the rice will be perfectly cooked. As you will see small vent holes forming though the rice once all the liquid is absorbed.
Once the rice is cooked, you can add the flaked haddock, peas and parsley to the top of the rice, and either put the lid back on or close the rice cooker.
TURN IT OFF!!!!– Residual heat will warm the fish, cook the peas and infuse the herb flavour, this takes 5 mins.SML
Boil the eggs – if you want them runny, bring to a rolling boil, turn of the heat and leave in the hot water for 4 mins. Cool in cold water, peel and serve with your Kedgeree!
Mix the ingredients together (leave the egg to last) with a fork and squeeze ½ a lemon to help balance the intensity of the Rice Milk, Rice and Smoked Haddock.
I like steamed Bok Choi with my Kedgeree but any greens will help to offset the richness of the meal and certainly boost your nutrient intake.
Eat it, Enjoy it and put Ketchup on it, if you want, I don’t judge!