Hairy Bikers Kedgeree Recipe

The rice never touches plain water in Hairy Bikers kedgeree. The smoked haddock poaches in 500ml of water first, then that liquid is saved and the rice cooks in it. The recipe is in British Classics and feeds six at about 355 calories.

They are blunt about what usually goes wrong, saying kedgeree is too often dry and smells too strongly of smoked fish. Theirs mixes British and Indian cooking, which is where the dish came from in the first place, and they say it works for supper as well as breakfast.

Four pans run at once and nothing is cooked together. Fish, rice, eggs and peas are each done on their own, then folded into the buttery curried onion right at the end.

Hairy Bikers Kedgeree

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British Indian Courses:Main

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 35 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 50 minutesServings:6 servingsCalories:355 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

The curry powder fries in butter with the onion for three minutes before any rice arrives, so it loses its raw edge. The eggs sit on top in quarters rather than being stirred through. A lid goes on for the last few minutes to warm everything without stirring it again.

Ingredients

• 475g undyed smoked haddock fillet, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 200g basmati rice, rinsed in cold water and drained
• 4 eggs
• 100g frozen peas, optional
• 40g butter
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder
• 3 tbsp double cream
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• juice of ½ lemon
• black pepper

Instructions

1. Poach the haddock: Put the haddock in a large frying pan, skin side up. Pour over 500ml of water, add the bay leaves and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just done and flakes easily.
2. Save the liquid: Drain the fish in a colander set over a bowl, keep the cooking liquid and throw away the bay leaves.
3. Cook the rice: Pour that liquid into a pan and stir in the rice. Cover, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for another 3 to 5 minutes, by which point all the liquid should be gone.
4. Boil the eggs and peas: While the rice cooks, boil the eggs for 8 minutes, then cool them under cold running water and peel. Cook the peas in a small pan of boiling water and drain.
5. Fry the onion and curry powder: Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan and cook the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes until soft. Add the curry powder and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Bring it together: Add the cooked rice and stir it through the onion, then add the peas, cream, parsley and a few twists of black pepper.
7. Add the fish: Flake the haddock into chunky pieces and add them to the pan. Stir in the lemon juice gently and cook for a couple of minutes.
8. Finish with the eggs: Cut the eggs into quarters and sit them on top of the rice. Put the lid on and heat through for 2 to 3 minutes until the eggs are warm, then serve.

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FAQs

Why cook the rice in the fish water?

Because that is where the flavour went. Smoked haddock gives up a lot as it poaches, and 500ml of it would otherwise go down the sink.

Buy it undyed, as the recipe says. The bright yellow sort leaks its colour into that water, and your rice then turns yellow before any curry powder goes near it. Their smoked haddock risotto does the same thing, cooking the fish in stock and then using that stock for the rice.

Why fry the curry powder for three minutes?

To cook off the raw taste. Straight from the tin it tastes dusty and a bit bitter, and three minutes in hot butter fixes that.

Keep stirring the whole time or it will catch and burn. One heaped tablespoon is the only spice in the dish, so it needs to be right.

How do I stop it drying out?

That is the exact problem they set out to fix, and the cream is the answer. Three tablespoons go in with the peas and parsley and keep everything loose.

Do not overcook the rice either. Ten minutes of gentle simmering plus five with the heat off is enough, and you want separate grains rather than one lump.

Can I make it ahead?

Not far ahead, but the book tells you how to hold it. Tip it into a warm dish, dot a few cubes of butter on top, cover with foil and leave it in a low oven for up to 20 minutes.

The butter melts down through the rice and stops it drying. Much past 20 minutes and the fish starts to toughen.

Can I make kedgeree with salmon instead?

You can, and they have. On The Hairy Bikers Go Local they made a version with hot and cold smoked salmon, served with a cucumber, dill and mustard sauce instead of the curried cream here.

For this recipe, hot smoked salmon is the one to use, since it breaks into flakes like haddock. Cold smoked salmon toughens if you cook it, so stir that through off the heat right at the end.