Kedgeree (Rice and Smoked Fish)
Kedgeree (or occasionally kitcherie, kitchari or kitchiri) is a dish consisting of flaked fish (usually smoked haddock), boiled rice, eggs and butter. It originated amongst the British colonials in India hence was introduced to the United Kingdom as a popular English breakfast in Victorian times, part of the then-fashionable Anglo-Indian cuisine. During that time, fish was often served for colonial breakfasts so…
Ingredients
- 1–2 cups Basmati or long-grain white rice (see notes)
- 2–4 cups decent quality low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 500 g (1 lb) smoked haddock
- 3 medium shallots or 1 medium onion, chopped fairly fine
- Liberal amounts of unsalted butter
- As much garlic as you can handle, minced or put through a garlic press
- 6 hard boiled eggs, chopped fairly fine
- At least 3 tsp of prepared English mustard (1½ tsp of dry mustard)
- Enough finely-chopped parsley or cilantro to add interest and colour
- Fresh-ground pepper
- Curry powder (optional)
- Heavy cream
- Salt
Steps
- Cook the rice in one and a half times its amount of chicken stock with the bay leaf. Keep warm.
- Discard the bay leaf. Fluff the rice with chopsticks. Place the raw smoked haddock slab on top. Close the lid. Steam on warm, 15 minutes.
- Remove the haddock. Flake with forks, removing every trace of bone. Return to the rice.
- Sauté the shallots in excess butter until light brown. Add the garlic. Cook 1 minute more without browning. Transfer to the rice.
- Add the eggs, mustard, parsley, pepper, curry powder and enough cream to be slightly creamy. Mix gently and thoroughly. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve immediately or later.
Notes from the original
- A rice cooker is not essential, but makes the whole thing brainless. 1 cup of rice will yield a dish that is dense with egg and haddock; 2 cups will give you a dish with a more Asian proportion of rice.
- The addition of 3–4 cloves and a few cardamom seeds to the rice whilst it is cooking, plus the addition of a level teaspoon of cumin powder to the finished product, gives the rice a wonderful aroma.
- Leftovers may be served in kedgeree omelettes with a dribble of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
- Haddock is traditional. Smoked anything can substitute it.
- Cartoned organic stock is much superior, but home-made still beats all comers.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Kedgeree (Rice and Smoked Fish)” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2026-01-26, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Kedgeree.jpg by User:Justinc, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.