Nuts and Bolts:

Kedgeree is one of the dishes where the history is almost more interesting than the dish itself. Kedgeree is an entree that can be traced back to an Indian dish called Khichdi or Khichuṛī, which was a rice and lentil dish eaten for breakfast in Southeastern Asia. A popular dish in India when the East India Company was taking root and the colonization of India just begun. It is believed that the British colonels felt that Khichdi reminded them of the nursery food because it was not spicy. The British officials and their wives enjoyed the dish so much they brought the recipe back to the United Kingdom. There are records of this recipe in cookbooks dating back to the 1790s in England. The original recipe for Khichdi was hard to make in the UK because those ingredients were hard to acquire. So many cooks found local ingredients like smoked fish and hard-boiled eggs. For example, in Scotland, they use smoked halibut as a substitute for an ingredient that could not be located there.  During the Victorian era, it was a favorite breakfast entrée for aristocratic ladies. For aristocrats, the dish was made more decadent by adding either veal or salmon to it. But during World War II, it became a less decadent dish because of food shortages.  Kedgeree remains in British cookbooks till today and is still a popular dish. 

(For more on the history of Kedgeree: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/kedgeree)

I became interested in the dish because of Downton Abbey and other British TV shows. It seems like an interesting dish. It is a very Anglo-Indian dish, and it seemed a little dated. I looked at many recipes that called for ways to make the fish and the rice. I was on a British cooking forum where many people were adamant that you had to use smoked halibut, but it is a pretty expensive and hard to find ingredient. I realized that this dish would be a good way to use up leftover rice and cooked fish. So that is how I came up with my version of Kedgeree.

My thoughts on Leftover kedgeree:

1.    This is a super easy recipe, and it can be easily doubled. It is excellent for brunch or lunch.

2.     I like to use leftover rice for this recipe. My favorite leftover rice for this recipe is from Indian take-out because most restaurants add spice to the rice, which adds an extra layer of flavor.  But any leftover rice will work.

3.     I use leftover fish, which can be baked. I like to use white fish for this, but salmon also tastes delicious in this dish.

4.    Feel free to add vegetables to it. I have used leftover cauliflower, and it was great.

5.    This recipe is more of a suggestion of spices as you can use any amount of spices in this dish.

Method:

For this dish, you will need an onion, garlic, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, two pods of cardamom, butter, a fillet of fish, hard-boiled eggs, lemon, and about two cups of rice. For this post, I am using oven-roasted cod, but any fish will do. This fillet was about 4 oz.  You can put in as little or as much fish as you want. Start by mincing the garlic, and then I like to put the garlic and the other spices in a bowl and mix them; then chop the onion and flake the fish. Then I like to separate the clumps of leftover rice by fluffing it in a bowl with a fork.

Important tip: Butter makes this dish special. It would be even better with ghee. I would not substitute oil for this dish; It will lose the richness that makes it so decadent.

Once I have prepared all the ingredients, I start by heating a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Melt half the butter and add the onion; cook until translucent. Then add the spice mix and heat for a few seconds until it becomes fragrant. Then add more butter to the pan. Then add the rice and the fish to the pan. As the rice and fish are heating, season with salt and pepper., If the rice is too dry, you can add a few tablespoons of water to soften the rice.

Important tip: I like to add little water to prevent burning and to keep the rice moist but not too much because you make the rice mushy.

Once the rice is heated through, place it on a plate or a platter, squeeze some lemon over it, and slice the hard-boiled egg into quarters.  I like to serve this dish by placing the rice mixture in the middle of the plate and the egg quarters around the rice. I put one egg per plate and enjoy in your mess.

Final Thought on Leftover Kedgeree:

This might not be a traditional kedgeree, but it is a tasty dish. This is a versatile entree, so you can add any vegetables, potatoes, or other protein types you wish. This dish can be customized, with your own flair in your mess!

Leftover Kedgeree:

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked rice

1 cooked filet of fish, about 4 oz.

1 small onion; chopped

1-2 garlic cloves; minced

1-½ teaspoon or more to taste curry powder 

½ teaspoon of turmeric

2 pods of cardamon

1 teaspoon or more to the taste of cumin

Pinch or more of cayenne powder

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Two tablespoons of butter

2-4 tablespoons of water if needed

Lemon

Four hard-boiled eggs

Directions:

Start by mincing the garlic.  Next, put the garlic and the other spices in a bowl and mix them. Then, chop the onion and heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the butter and add the onion; cook until translucent. Then add the spice mix and heat for a few seconds until fragrant. Then add more butter to the pan. Then add the rice and fish.  While the rice and fish are heating, add some salt and pepper to taste. If the rice is too dry, you can add a few tablespoons of water to soften the rice. Once the rice is heated through, place on a plate or platter; squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the rice. Then slice the hard-boiled egg into quarters. Then add the eggs to the side of the platter or plate.  Enjoy!