Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 400ml (14fl oz) whole milk
- 4 bay leaves
- 500g (1lb 2oz) undyed smoked haddock or smoked pollack fillets
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Good knob of butter
- 2 onions, finely sliced from tip to root
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, crushed
- 4 cardamom pods, bashed
- Pinch of dried chilli flakes
- 200g (7oz) basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander, plus whole coriander sprigs, to serve
- Thinly sliced red chilli, to serve (optional)
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Natural yoghurt, to serve
- Salt and ground black pepper
Method
Bring a medium pan of water to the boil, add the eggs and cook for 6 minutes, which should give you a soft-set yolk. Drain the eggs and run them under the cold tap until cool enough to handle. Carefully shell the eggs and set aside.
Put 400ml (14fl oz) of water into a large pan, then stir in the milk and bay leaves. Set the pan over a medium–high heat. Add the fish fillets (you might need to cut them to fit snugly) and bring the liquid up to a gentle simmer. Cook the fish for 2–3 minutes, then using a slotted spoon or spatula lift the fish carefully out of the pan onto a plate. Turn off the heat and reserve the poaching liquid.
Place another large pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter and, when bubbling nicely, add the sliced onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper and fry, stirring regularly, for 12–15 minutes, or until the onions are soft and golden. Remove half the onions from the pan and set aside. Add the spices and rice to the remaining onions, stir and cook for a further 1–2 minutes. Pour in the fish poaching liquid, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the rice is nearly cooked.
While the rice is cooking, discard the fish skin and bones and break the flesh into large flakes. When the rice is nearly cooked, add the fish. Carefully turn the chopped parsley and coriander through the rice and fish mixture. Serve the kedgeree straight from the pan or transfer it to a large serving platter. Halve the boiled eggs and arrange them on top of the kedgeree. Scatter over the remaining fried onions and, if you like, a little thinly sliced fresh red chilli. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, yoghurt and a sprig of coriander.
