Kedgeree Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 250g basmati rice (roughly one full mug)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons Ghee, for cooking the onion and spices
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 100g frozen peas (a good handful)
• 300g cooked smoked haddock or other cooked white fish, flaked
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to serve
• juice of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve
• 1 tablespoon Ghee, melted, to finish

STEPS

1. Rinse 250g basmati rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then soak for 15 minutes and drain.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the rice and cook for 8–10 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Place 4 eggs in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 8 minutes. Cool under cold running water, peel and cut into quarters.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons Ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat.
5. Add 1 finely chopped onion and cook for 5–6 minutes until softened.
6. Stir in 2 teaspoons mild curry powder, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric and ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, then cook for 30 seconds.
7. Add 100g frozen peas and cook for 2–3 minutes until heated through.
8. Flake 300g cooked smoked haddock or other cooked white fish into large pieces and add it gently to the pan.
9. Add the cooked rice and fold everything together carefully. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
10. Stir through 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and the juice of ½ lemon.
11. Spoon over 1 tablespoon melted Ghee and gently toss once more.
12. Serve topped with the quartered eggs, extra parsley and lemon wedges.

NOTES

Why Ghee and not butter or oil?

Kedgeree descends from the Indian dish khichdi, where Ghee is the traditional cooking fat, and it holds up well here too — it takes the heat needed to toast the curry powder and mustard seeds without burning, and gives the rice a rounder, nuttier flavour than butter or a plain oil.

A note on context:

Kedgeree became a British breakfast dish after colonial-era travellers brought khichdi recipes home from India in the 19th century, and it changed shape along the way — smoked haddock, curry powder and boiled eggs are a British addition rather than part of the original dish, which makes kedgeree very much its own thing today.