The Police’s Kedgeree
Kedgeree is a dish that happened as a result of clashing two cultures together; Indian cuisine with the taste-buds of the English palette. It was adapted from a traditional Indian dish known as khichari, which used legumes. Traditionally this dish is one of the first solid foods they would feed babies. Leave it up to UK to take this and transform it into a food commonly eaten to nurse a hangover.
When making this kedgeree, I had never previously prepared, eaten, or even seen this dish in the world, but the end result was sooooo tasty. I’ll be making this again and again. In the English home, this can be a game of “what do I have left in the fridge.” However, my recipe is the standard way to go. I’m really into cooking the rice into the poaching milk to optimize that smokey flavor. If you’re looking for something different to make, this can be your next lunch, brunch or dinner.
Servings- 5-6
Time- 60 minutes
Kedgeree ingredients
4 hard boiled eggs
1 lb fresh cod, (or another firm fish)
8 oz package Smoked Trout
2 1/4 C Milk
1/4 C cream or half and half
2-3 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 T Indian curry powder
2 bay leaves
1 C uncooked white rice
Glass of white wine
1/4 C fresh flat leafed parsley, chopped
Possible replacements- Traditionally you would uses smoked haddock. I could not locate this very English food staple in my NYC grocery stores, so I’m using what is more likely to be found. You can also used salmon, but not smoked salmon. You could add 8 oz of smoked salmon to get some smokiness in, but make sure you combine it with fresh fish. You can also add chopped green onions at the end instead of parsley, or both together!
Make sure you have your hard boiled eggs made. To do this, put 4 eggs in a pot with enough cold water to cover them, and a dash of vinegar to prevent cracked eggs from leaking. Bring water to a boil, turn off heat and put a lid on the pan. Wait for 10-12 minutes and remove eggs from the water. Peel and set aside.
Poach fish by placing all your fish in a large pan with enough milk to cover it- (about 2 1/4 cups, as well as the 1/4 C cream). On medium heat, bring milk to a boil, turn down heat down to a simmer and continue to cook for 6 more minutes.
Remove fish from milk and set aside. Pour your hot milk into a 2 cup (or larger), sized measuring container. You will use 2 cups of this liquid for cooking your rice later. Add milk if you don’t have enough.
Sauté diced onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 1 T of curry powder with bay leaves and mix together.
Add uncooked rice and mix. You will cook the rice in the onions for 5 more minutes. Then add white wine. After wine cooks down, (about 5 minutes), add 2 cups of your poaching milk. Mix together, cover and simmer until the milk cooks into the rice.
Once its all cooked, add chopped parsley and mix together. Cut your eggs into quarters, and add to rice along with your fish. Try to keep your fish in larger sized chunks.
Serve on a plate or bowl and enjoy!
