KEDGEREE
When I first moved to the UK, I struggled with breakfast. In Malaysia we have a variety of noodles, rice and curry dishes to choose from for our first meal of the day. When I first stayed with Andrew’s parents, after enduring two days of cereal and toast, I crept down to the kitchen to stir-fry spaghetti with bacon for breakfast – spaghetti was the closest thing they had to noodles in their cupboard! His parents came down and were utterly baffled. Realising I was homesick for a Malaysian breakfast, Andrew cooked me kedgeree and I couldn’t have been happier. My version uses home-made curry paste rather than curry powder.
Serves 4
250g undyed smoked haddock
100g raw peeled tiger or king prawns
15g butter
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp home-made Curry Paste (here ) or shop-bought
200g basmati rice, rinsed and drained
100g frozen peas
2 medium free-range eggs salt, to taste
handful of coriander leaves, chopped
lemon wedges, to serve
For the poaching liquid
150ml full-fat milk
200ml water
1 tbsp home-made Curry Paste (here ) or shop-bought
Combine the poaching liquid ingredients in a frying pan. Place the haddock in the liquid and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 8 minutes. After 6 minutes of the cooking time have passed, add the prawns. Remove the haddock and prawns from the poaching liquid and set aside, then transfer the liquid to a heat-proof measuring jug and make it up to 400ml with water. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the onion, garlic and curry paste. Fry until the onions have softened. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it. Add the poaching liquid and simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Do not stir. When bubbles start to appear on the surface of the rice, add the peas, stir and turn off the heat. Cover the pan and leave to sit for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the eggs in boiling water for 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel off the shells, cut the eggs into quarters and set aside. Flake the haddock and discard all the skin and bones.
Remove the lid from the rice pan and use a fork to fluff up the rice. Place the pan over a low heat, add the flaked haddock and the prawns, and stir gently to mix the fish and prawns into the rice. Warm through for about 3 minutes, season with salt if necessary, remove from the heat and serve with the quartered eggs on top. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
