Kedgeree
Introduction
This isn't really Brett's kergeree, but I needed to put another name in to make it a WikiName!
This recipe is adapted from Poor Cook (see source below) a recipe book that has recipes for people without a lot of money. This is a wonderful cookbook and is credited with ecouraging the whole of England to invite people home to dinner. Please note that some ingredients are cheap in England but not in New Zealand!
Kedgeree (from the the Hindi word khichri) is a dish from the days of the British Raj. It was often served for breakfast along with devilled kidneys and bacon. Yum!
This dish is not difficult to make but it does require good timing. If things have got too cold put the bowl with the assembled dish into the microwave on high for a few minutes before you serve it.
NOTE: a friend of mine made this with salmon and said it was disgusting!!
Ingredients
- 500 grams of smoked fish fillets preferably with the skin on (blue cod or hoki are great)
- 300 mls blue milk for poaching fish.
11/2 cups of long grain rice (I like the brown rice from the Bin Inn)
- 3 hard boiled eggs.
- 200 grams of frozen peas.
- 50 grams butter
- 50 grams plain flour
- Blue milk (enough to make sauce)
2 tsps (or more to taste) curry powder
- Small handful of roughly chopped parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 150oC
- Cook the rice and allow to cool to warm.
- Put the smoked fish fillets, skin side up, in a dish big enough so they can lie side by side.
- Pour the blue milk over the fish and put into the preheated oven.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes until the skin will easily lift off.
- When the fish is done, peel of the skin and break in flakes and allow to cool to warm. Save the milk.
- Hard boil the eggs. Peel and chop or slice
- Cook and drain the peas.
- Make a roux with the butter, plain flour and curry podwer. Add the fishy milk saved from above and any extra milk you may need. The thinner the sauce the "wetter" your kedgeree will be. You'll need to experiment to find what you like. If you think your kedgeree is too dry after the dish is assembled, you can add cream, not too much though.
Assemble the dish. In a big good looking bowl add the rice and stir with a fork to fluff it up. Add on top of the rice: the fish, peas, sliced eggs and the curry sauce. Stir gently together with a big old wooden spoon until mixed and then Add the extra cream if you need. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat in the microwave if necessary. Throw in the chopped parsley and give it a final mix. Serve warm.
Variations
This dish doubles and triples beautifully.
Source: adapted from Poor Cook by Campbell & Conran. Papermac. 1971.