A Lazy Weekend Kedgeree Brunch

This is the first Saturday in ages I haven't been busy so it was really nice to get up late and take the time to make a lazy brunch. Before today I have only ever tried a spoonful of Kedgeree, a typically Victorian English breakfast dish, when I went out for breakfast with my fella to the Soup Kitchen in the Northern Quarter a few months ago (he had kedgeree and I had the breakfast omelette). I have been meaning to make it at home for some time now but I've always been a bit apprehensive, especially when we were living in the flat, because I don't like the idea of the whole house smelling of haddock for ages and it getting into your clothes - nightmare! Anyway it was a nice day today so the kitchen door was open and the extractor fan on. Time to take the plunge!

And I'm glad I did as this is definitely worth the hype! Believed to have been brought back from colonial India during the Victorian years it combines smoked haddock with Indian spices and boiled eggs. We even had ours with a French baton so it was definitely a very multi cultural breakfast!

Some recipes vary in the spices added and some use cream instead of milk so I'd say this is a fairly healthy version of the dish.

Ingredients
(for 2)
300g undyed smoked haddock, skin off
150g basmati or long grain rice
2 eggs
half an onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
half tsp turmeric
half tsp dried coriander
tsp curry powder
knob of butter
200ml milk
parsley
salt and pepper
lemon wedges to serve

First melt your butter in a lidded pan then add your onions and fry until translucent - for about 5 minutes. Add the spices and mix well then cook for another few minutes. Add the rice and stir in to coat the rice. Add 300ml water and bring to the boil. Then turn down the heat and allow to simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Take this off the heat and leave to stand with the lid on for another 15 minutes (this allows the rice to soak up all the moisture and spices).

Whilst waiting, poach the haddock in the milk with a bay leaf on a medium heat for 10 minutes. The haddock should start to flake away.

After a couple of minutes you can boil your eggs. Cover with water and bring to the boil then simmer for 4 and a half to 5 minutes then run under cold water and take off the shells.

Throw away the milk the haddock has been poached in, along with the bay leaf and flake the fish into the rice, removing any bones as you go. Add the coriander and salt and pepper to season and carefully mix together.

Serve in a dish and add the quartered eggs, chopped parsley and lemon wedges. We had ours with a couple of slices of french bread but its really not necessary as we were delightfully stuffed!