Kedgeree - Breakfast, lunch or dinner

[andiesenji]

Yesterday I prepared Kedgeree, a dish that I probably have not made for many years and I don't know why, because it is very good, fairly healthy and just about foolproof to get right, no matter which recipe or variation one uses.

 

I can't eat fish from the ocean because of an allergy to iodine so it always has to be fresh water fish and there are so many ways to prepare them that this comes far down the list.

 

Saturday evening I had a visit from some friends on their way home from Carmel and earlier that day they had stopped off to visit his brother who is sustainably farming sturgeon - for caviar.

Because they want mostly females, they have to "cull" the males and so I was gifted with a lovely hunk of lightly smoked sturgeon.

The flesh is quite mild in flavor so, like trout, it does not have to be heavily smoked.

 

Since there was too much for just a snack (a pound), I was scrolling through some of my less noticed fish recipes and came across Kedgeree.

I remember it from childhood, it was a breakfast favorite of my great grandmother and my grandpa, not so much the rest of the family because being typical southerners, they liked sausage, ham, biscuits, grits, gravy and eggs.  Maybe fried catfish on rare occasions, kedgeree was not considered "real food." 

My grandpa and I had a mutual admiration society and I loved being served whatever he was eating.

 

1 pound smoked sturgeon (or whatever smoked fish you have - even the traditional finnan haddie)

3 cups HOT  cooked rice (salted during cooking)

4 hard-boiled eggs

1 medium-small onion  diced

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 stick butter

2  Tablespoons  Madras curry paste   (you can use curry powder - about 1 tablespoon, but I don't recommend it)

 

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Chutney  -  whatever "flavor" you prefer.

 

Break the fish into flakes or small chunks.

Cut the eggs into quarters then eighths.

 

Melt the butter in the oil until the butter is beginning to brown

add the onions and cook until translucent

add the Madras curry paste and blend well with the onions, it will thicken.

 

Toss the fish and eggs with the rice

Pour the cooked onions/curry paste mixture over the rice

toss in the chopped parsley

stir well to mix completely.

 

Serve with chutney on the side.

 

Since I cooked the rice in my rice cooker, I just added the other stuff to it, tossed and left it on "Keep Warm"

 

Edited August 25, 2014 by andiesenji (log)

[Katie Meadow]

I am a big fan of kedgeree. Not only is it easy comfort food, but it's very economical, especially when fish like fresh wild king salmon is commanding $20 or more per pound. I love kedgeree with smoked fish and also fresh. Andie that smoked sturgeon was a great score; haven't had sturgeon in ages. If using simple fresh fish I like to poach it gently in water and white wine and herbs until barely done. I will then use some of the poaching liquid to cook the rice. After sautéing the onions I add the cooked rice and the flaked fish back in just to warm it through. I've never tried using curry for flavor, but that sounds lovely. My go to is chopped herbs, like parsley, chives or dill, just added for the final warm up and then a squeeze of lemon.

[andiesenji]

I am a big fan of kedgeree. Not only is it easy comfort food, but it's very economical, especially when fish like fresh wild king salmon is commanding $20 or more per pound. I love kedgeree with smoked fish and also fresh. Andie that smoked sturgeon was a great score; haven't had sturgeon in ages. If using simple fresh fish I like to poach it gently in water and white wine and herbs until barely done. I will then use some of the poaching liquid to cook the rice. After sautéing the onions I add the cooked rice and the flaked fish back in just to warm it through. I've never tried using curry for flavor, but that sounds lovely. My go to is chopped herbs, like parsley, chives or dill, just added for the final warm up and then a squeeze of lemon.

My great grandmother and my grandpa had traveled in India before WWI and developed a taste for the dish while there.  My grandparent's cook was a Gullah woman from North Carolina but had learned to cook the dishes my great grandmother and grandpa liked.

I've never had kedgeree without using curry spices and I usually use ghee but didn't want to open a new jar just for this one dish. 

 

I'm hoping Sam brings me more sturgeon as I really love the flavor.  It is just a bit more firm than trout so doesn't disintegrate during the stirring, as trout usually does.  I've had it before, but he usually only brings a little chunk that has been vac-sealed.  This was fresh out of the smoker that day so was just wrapped in waxed paper and butcher paper. 

While I was preparing the other ingredients, I kept picking off little flakes for "tasting samples." 

[patrickamory]

I've had kedgeree in England and loved it. I think there's an episode of Two Fat Ladies where they make it.

 

Andie, did you use brown rice, or is it simply colored from the curry and spices?

 

Yum… can taste it now. This place called the Cow in Notting Hill used to do a great version of it.

[andiesenji]

The rice I used is a very aromatic type:  Madagascar pink rice, has a slightly larger grain that regular rice and a much better flavor, in my opinion, than Basmati or similar rices.  Also, it still has some of the bran layer which I think adds to both the flavor and the nutritional value.

 

I buy it in the 11 pound bags from Amazon.    I used to buy it direct from Lotus (a California company) but since they began selling via Amazon, get it because with my Prime membership, no shipping cost.  

 

I use a lot of rice...

[fatmat]

Kedgeree is one of the best meals ever!! 

 

My contributions to the recipe would be to fry the onions until crisp and stir them through just before serving... with a little lightly browned garlic. A handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves to serve is lovely too... adds a fresh lightness. Also a small handful of slivered almonds, lightly fried in ghee/butter. I also like to add a few sultanas to the rice when it is boiling to add a fruity element and finally... a squeeze of lemon juice to finish.