Kedgeree (aka kitcherie, kitchari or kitchiri) is a breakfast dish consisting of cooked, flaked fish (usually smoked haddock), boiled rice, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, curry powder, spices, butter or cream and even sultanas. It is thought to have originated with an Indian rice-and-bean or rice-and-lentil dish Khichri, which can be traced back to the 1300s.
It is widely believed that the dish was brought to the United Kingdom by returning British colonials who had enjoyed it in India and introduced it to the UK as a breakfast dish in Victorian times, part of the then fashionable Anglo-Indian cuisine. It is one of many breakfast dishes that, in the days before refrigeration, converted yesterday's leftovers into breakfast dishes, of which bubble and squeak is probably the best known.
An alternative origin is that the dish was taken to India by Scottish troops during the British Raj, where it was adapted and adopted as part of Indian cuisine. The National Trust for Scotland's book The Scottish Kitchen by Christopher Trotter traces the origins for the kedgeree recipe to books by the Malcolms dating back to the year 1790. According to this theory the dish travelled to India then returned to the UK.
No matter where it originated, it's very tasty, and nutritions and it can be eaten hot or cold.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
450g basmati rice
500g smoked haddock
120g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and cut into thin rings
2 crushed cardamom pods
1 tbsp curry powder
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half
Small handful chives, chopped
½ lemon, cut into 4 wedges
Small bunch of coriander, chopped
Method
- Toss the rice briefly under running water and then put it in a large pan and cover with cold water. Leave for at least half an hour.
- Drain the rice and discard the soaking water. Put it in a large pan on a medium heat with 585ml fresh water.
- Bring to the boil, and give it a good stir.
- Cover tightly and turn the heat down very low.
- Cook for 25 minutes then turn off the heat – don't remove the lid.
- Leave for five minutes then fork through the rice to fluff it up.
- Meanwhile, put the fish, skin-side up, in a shallow pan over a low heat, and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then take out of the water and, when cool enough to handle, pull the skin off and break into large flakes. Put to one side.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a lowish heat, and add the onion. Fry gently until softened, then stir in the chilli, cardamom pods and curry powder.
- Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the rice and stir to coat with the spices. Add the fish flakes and heat through.
- Season to taste.
- Place the eggs on top, scatter fresh chopped chives and coriander, and serve with slices of lemon..
Definitions
To chop - to cut food into small even-sized pieces using a knife or food processor.
To drain: To remove water from ingredients cooked in liquid or from raw ingredients that have been washed in water by placing them in a sieve or colander.
To melt - to apply heat to a solid ingredient to turn it into a liquid.
To peel - to remove the outer layer of a food.
To stir - to agitate an ingredient or a number of ingredients using a hand held tool such as a spoon.