Kedgeree recipe

With the weather grey, muggy and thunderstorms around this hot plateful of kedgeree is the perfect treat. Kedgeree is an Anglo-Indian dish inspired by khichdi - although it doesn’t contain any lentils. To be fair it’s so different from the authentic Indian khichdi! Anglo-Indian dishes really make up a cuisine of their own - some of them I really love, some not so much. Widely believed to have been brought to the UK from British colonials, adapted and then enjoyed for breakfast or brunch.  Kedgeree is made from fragrant rice, smoked fish (usually haddock but I had smoked mackerel in my freezer), eggs and some kind of veg. I usually add peas! This was also the first time that I have used western style curry powder in a long time - but you need it for that authentic kedgeree flavour.

What makes a really good kedgeree? 

• Fluffy rice grains that are separate and not mushy. Rinse the rinse really well and use equal parts water to rice to achieve this. Soak the rice to speed up the overall cooking time, this will also help.
  
  
• Delicious and tender smoked fish - white fish, and in particular smoked haddock is the most traditional and authentic, but you can use mackerel & salmon if you prefer. I buy already cooked smoked fish - this means that I don't have to do any cooking of the fish myself. 
  
  
• Western style curry powder - this is very important. You won't achieve the same by mixing in different spices or using whole spices. I just add a little extra turmeric to achieve an amazing yellow colour. 

Ingredients 
Serves 4

1 cup / 200g basmati rice 
250g smoked fish mackerel, haddock, salmon are all good options
4 large eggs hardboiled 
1 cup / 250ml boiling water 
1/4 cup / 50 ml cream
1 medium white onion finely sliced
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped 
100g frozen peas 
1 bay leaf 
2 tsp curry powder 
1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
Salt & pepper to taste
Handful fried cashews to garnish 
Handful chopped fresh parsley to garnish 

Method 

• Wash & rinse the basmati rice really well to remove any starch. This is key to getting fluffy grains! I rinsed the rice at least 3 times. Soak the rice for 30 mins and then drain and set aside. 
  
  
• Take a pan and add a little vegetable oil. Add the bay leaf and saute until it becomes fragrant. 
  
  
• Add the sliced onion, the chopped garlic cloves and fry until golden. 
  
  
• Add the curry powder, turmeric and sauté for another minute. Add the frozen peas and sauté for a few more minutes. Tip in the soaked rice and coat with the peas and onions. 
  
  
• Top up with the water and cream. Let the mixture come a gentle boil. Season with salt and pepper.
   
• Once the mixture is bubbling, lower the heat completely, cover and let the kedgeree simmer for around 15 minutes on the lowest heat until all the water is absorbed and the rice cooked.
  
  
• When the rice is cooked, fluff up the grains with a fork and then add in flaked smoked fish and hard boiled eggs. Cover again and let the kedgeree rest for at least 10 minutes. This will help the rice fluff up even more and all the flavours will infuse! 
  
  
• Garnish with fried cashews and chopped parsley. Serve for a delicious weekend brunch or supper.