17 June 2009

Kedgeree- Indian Delight from Old Rice


Kedgeree was one of my favourite childhood dishes, and is still something that I love to tuck into.

The dish became famous when Victorian British colonial types brought it back from India as a breakfast dish, but it has been argued that it originated in Scotland, got adapted in the subcontinent, and returned in a spicier incarnation.

In hot, pre-refridgeration India, fish was served at breakfast time, whilst it was still fresh. This is too hearty a breakfast dish for me, but an excellent dinner or possibly brunch.

The recipe usually calls for curry powder, cooked rice, flaked smoked haddock, chopped boiled egg and perhaps some parsley or coriander garnish, but once you have the principle it is very adaptable.
Step by step:
  1. The cooked rice (you might want to warm it first in the microwave so that you don't have to fry it for a long time, or warm it through with hot water)
  2. Put some oil in a large frying pan or wok, and add curry powder, chili powder or other spices. If you wanted to add sauteed onions, now is the time to cook them.
  3. Before adding the warmed rice, turn the chopped (quartered or sixteenthed) boiled eggs and flaked smoked haddock (you could substitute this for bacon or cold, chopped meat) in the hot oil and spices so that they are warmed through or cooked).
  4. Add the rice, mixed it thoroughly until it is piping hot in the oil and spices
If you want to make it from scratch, why not try Delia Smith's version
photo with thanks to crisphin

2 comments:

  1. Don't mean to be pernickity, but just in case people don't realise, old rice, even when cooked through and boiled can still harbour nasties which will reactivate as rice cools to a nice ambient temperature for them. It can give you food poisoning : (

    Personally I wouldn't reheat rice unless it was the day after...

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  2. OOh and as an afterthough, i have eaten something similar but with peas in. Was tasty and added some colour.

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