This wonderful quick recipe for the classic brunch dish Kedgeree departs from tradition by using smoked mackerel instead of smoked haddock. The oilier nature of this fish results in a slightly richer and more intensely perfumed dish, and to counterbalance that it is served alongside a hot and sharp tasting tamarind sauce and a cooling yoghurt. This is a superb dish to present to a table for brunch and allowing people to accessorise the dish by serving extra condiments and garnishes in the middle of the table results in an enjoyable and personal experience for everybody.
Serves Four
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
- 1 cup of onions, roughly chopped
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced
- 70g tamarind paste
- ½ tsp honey
- 4 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
- 75g butter
- 1 ½ tbsp medium curry powder
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 bunch of coriander
- 2-5 mild long green chilis, the sort found in Turkish or Indian shops
- 200g smoked mackerel fillet, flaked
- Maldon sea salt
- black pepper
- 100g natural yoghurt
1. Cook rice as per packet instructions and leave to stand.
2. Place the tamarind paste in a bowl and pour over just enough boiling water to cover. Stand for 20 minutes and then mash in to a paste and pass through a sieve to remove an pieces of stone/shell if required.
3. Using a hand blender blend the resulting tamarind with one of the green chilies, half of the coriander, the honey and a pinch of salt. Remove in to a small bowl or ramekin for serving.
4. Heat the butter in a frying pan and when it is foaming add the celery, onions and ginger with a pinch of salt and sauté lightly for three minutes. Add the curry powder and continue to cook for a further two minutes. You want the onions to have softened a little but also still retain a little bite, almost like the onions in a Chinese curry or sweet and sour.
5. Add the frozen peas and cook for two minutes until they defrost, then add the cooked rice and 100g of the flaked smoked mackerel and stir fry until everything is combined and hot. Check seasoning and add salt if required.
6. Chop the remaining coriander.
7. Divide the kedgeree between four plates, sprinkle with chopped coriander then split the eggs in half and top each portion with one. Finish the egg with salt and give a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper to the whole plate.
8. Serve with the tamarind and yoghurt in the middle of the table so people can add them at will, and also slice a couple of extra chillies for people to add if they want some extra heat.