Kedgeree makes a great breakfast or supper dish and to my mind with its beautiful rich colours would grace any buffet table. How to serve it was a problem because it is a substantial dish and all the individual baking cases I have seemed way too substantial as well. My best and I hope you'll agree the prettiest solution was to present it in the egg itself. This way it can be served straight from the oven, piping hot!
Kedgeree as khicṛī or khicaṛī is one of those great ancient Eastern egg and rice dishes reputed since the 14th century as a nourishing and easily digested invalid food. One school of thought believed that it was this very mild spiciness which first attracted its notice to the British in India. Legend has it that the Scots regiments sent to India adopted it over porridge as a breakfast food and by which time it had acquired the addition of fish. There are many legends attached to it,
one being that consuming fish in the morning was the most practical way
to enjoy it in a hot climate. At a later date when the dish was imported into Britain it incorporated
smoked fish and became a supper favourite.
Another story holds that the British in India used the dish as a
hangover cure after a night on the chhota pegs.
Although we live by the sea and can easily get wild local shrimp, prawns are another matter. To get the quantity to make a dish here, we need to go out by boat to the beautiful Chausey Islands (below), something we have done in the past. The only other prawn I would ever eat would be an organically farmed one and these will be ready cooked. We eat them from the packet but if you are concerned, then you can always heat them up quickly by dropping them for a few minutes into boiling water.
A FOREWORD ON ORGANIC PRAWNS
INGREDIENTS
(makes 20)125g - 4oz Basmati or Thai rice cooked (see below)
10 hard boiled eggs
1 medium red onion, chopped1 dessert spoon of turmeric
1 heaped dessert spoon of coconut oil or raw butter
Paprika for sprinkling.
Black pepper
Rice and the Steam Dragon
As
for the rice, I cook it in a very ad
hoc manner taught to me by a friend who was maniacal about the 'Steam Dragon'. Very simply I wash the rice several times in cold water,
then cover it with two fingers depth of water. Put it on a high heat,
reducing this when it starts to boil too furiously and never open the
pan lid, except just to quickly check now and again for when the water
has been absorbed - if you open the lid too wide you let out the Steam
Dragon. It seems like many dishes, rice is better left alone. Once the
water has been absorbed and the rice is very slightly al dente
remove the pan lid to allow the remaining water to quickly evaporate,
leaving the rice 'dry' and fluffy. If you still have water visible above
the rice but the grains have already reached this stage, then pour off
the excess water first. If you overcook rice it goes sticky, then it is
called 'friendly rice', which I think shows just how forgiving cookery
can be!
Cook the onions in butter until they are soft.
Melt the coconut or butter and add the turmeric to it. Incorporate these gently into the rice to get an even colour. Add the onions.
Cut the eggs in half and hollow out the yolks. Crumble the latter and add to the rice, leaving a little yolk to sprinkle on the finished dish. Keep the rice mix on the top of the stove on a trivet, so that it keeps hot but does not burn.
Cut 10 of the prawns in half longways and chop the rest. Add the chopped prawns to the rice. Season with black pepper, which allows for better absorption of the curcumin in the turmeric - as it is not just fish that is good for the brain!. Taste and add salt if needed.
Form into balls and place inside the halved eggs. Place in the warming drawer until all are ready.
Add a halved prawn to the top (you can heat these first in boiling water if you wish but be aware they will become rubbery if you overcook).
Sprinkle with finely crumbled yolk. Dust with paprika and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!
Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!
All the best,
Sue
Cook the onions in butter until they are soft.
Melt the coconut or butter and add the turmeric to it. Incorporate these gently into the rice to get an even colour. Add the onions.
Cut the eggs in half and hollow out the yolks. Crumble the latter and add to the rice, leaving a little yolk to sprinkle on the finished dish. Keep the rice mix on the top of the stove on a trivet, so that it keeps hot but does not burn.
Cut 10 of the prawns in half longways and chop the rest. Add the chopped prawns to the rice. Season with black pepper, which allows for better absorption of the curcumin in the turmeric - as it is not just fish that is good for the brain!. Taste and add salt if needed.
Form into balls and place inside the halved eggs. Place in the warming drawer until all are ready.
Add a halved prawn to the top (you can heat these first in boiling water if you wish but be aware they will become rubbery if you overcook).
Sprinkle with finely crumbled yolk. Dust with paprika and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!
Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!
All the best,
Sue
MORE APPETISERS WITH EGGS & FISH
Smoked Salmon Roulade, Fromage de Brebis & Oven-dried Tomatoes
The fifth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. I made two
versions, the first using local
organic goats' cheese was really tasty and rolled well into a classic
roulade but ...read more
Fresh Figs, Smoked Salmon Wraps.
The
twenty-second recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. For a
Winter party there is nothing more refreshing than a reminder of
Summer; sun-kissed figs...read more
Baked Organic Quail Egg in a Nest.
The twelfth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. A variant of a dish we used to eat regularly at home on the farm when I was a child. ..read moreRETURN TO MAIN CONTENTS PAGE
RETURN TO 100 GLUTEN-FREE PARTY RECIPES CONTENTS
© Sue Cross 2017
