Kedgeree (Indian Spiced Rice with Fish)
It’s summer and I haven’t been doing as much cooking as normal. There are too many patios to visit, friends to see, and outdoor fun times to be had that I’m really making salad and fast suppers for the most part. This dish is a great meal because it’s pretty fast to whip up, is full of flavour and satisfying yet light.
Kedgeree is a UK dish that goes back to the colonial days in India and is typically had for breakfast. Traditionally, it’s made with smoked white fish instead of fresh, which I’m sure is extra tasty. My fish store didn’t have any on hand so I improvised with fresh fish. Also, kedgeree often includes chopped boiled eggs but my version here is egg-less as I have a weird phobia of eggs unless they are scrambled. I’ve swapped dried currents for raisins as I also have a weird aversion to grapes, including dried ones.
The spices and ingredients for this dish are simple but pack in a lot of flavour. The fish was gently boiled in water with lemon and bay leaf – super easy and happened in tandem while the rice is cooking. You can also use any flaky white fish or smoked trout if you like. I used pickerel here, but cod would be great too.
Once you’ve assembled the rice and flaked fish, you can garnish with all the traditional fixings including nuts, raisins, chutney, fresh lime, and lemon wedges. I really love the toasted cinnamon pumpkin seeds that I added here as they gave a great salty crunch to the rice. Sweet, salty, crunchy, flavourful rice – way easy, way tasty.
Kedgeree - Indian Spiced Rice with Fish
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons butter or canola oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger (minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 ¼ cup basmati rice
- 1 pound firm white fish such as cod (pickerel)
- 1 lemon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
- Dried currants and lime wedges to serve (optional)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Salted Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground chili (optional)
- Coarse sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pot on medium-high heat. Add butter or canola oil and add onion, ginger and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and slightly golden, stirring occasionally. Add ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and basmati rice. Stir so all ingredients are combined and cook 2 more minutes.
- Add 2 cups of water and stir, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 9 minutes. Remove from heat and add peas. Cover and allow steam to continue to cook rice and warm peas for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add fish, 3 slices of lemon and bay leaf to a sauce pan. Add enough water to just cover and bring to simmer and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until fish is cooked and flaky. Remove fish from cooking liquid and allow to cool slightly. Using two forks, flake the fish apart.
- In a small frying pan on medium high heat, add oil, pumpkin seeds and a pinch of cinnamon, chili powder, and salt. Gently stir pumpkin seeds so they don’t burn. Remove from heat after a couple of minutes or when they are slightly browned.
- Assemble kedgeree. Add fish and chopped coriander to rice, salt, and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings and garnish with a sprinkle of chili powder (optional), fresh coriander, pumpkin seeds and dried currants.
