Veganmofo 2009 – Good Food Friday – Kedgeree

I had such great fun testing  for Tami’s American Vegan Kitchen that I decided to try and join in her Food Network Friday. But because I’m totally useless and hate sweet food, I decided that the first time I’d join in one, would be my turn to choose the recipe. I’ m rubbish.

If you haven’t been following, Tami likes to choose a recipe from the Food Network and veganise it. It was actually amazingly hard to choose a recipe. I didn’t want to pick something that just had one non vegan ingredient – sausage – that people would just swap out for vegan sausage. I didn’t want to make it too difficult. I didn’t want something that’s been obviously veganised in a cookbook already. And ideally, I wanted it to be British. After days of agonizing, I picked kedgeree. If any of you would like to have a go, just reply to Tami’s post with the details of what you did. I’d love some of you to have a go.

Here’s  the blurb from the website:

“The recipe I’m choosing is called Kedgeree. It’s a mixture of British and Indian cultures, and is thought to have originated when us Brits were busy trying to take over the world during the British Raj. It doesn’t seem to to be too popular these days but it was historically served at breakfast. If you’ve ever seen any of those costume dramas set in huge mansions, with posh people helping themselves from big silver hotplates on the sideboard, they will certainly have contained Kedgeree. (Agatha Christie is full of this sort of thing).

The original recipe I’m choosing is this one, from Sophie Grigson. She’s got a very hearty approach to her cooking, which I like, and her books do feature a fair amount of vegetarian food. Her mother was Jane Grigson, who wrote possibly the definitive encyclopedia of vegetables (though it’s not a vegetarian book).
This version is classic, though I have seen many interpretations (which is why I thought it would be a good one to pick). Here’s a few alternatives for ideas:
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/514872
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/516264

This is closer to the original, though:

Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 20 mins Serves: 4-6
Smoky fish and spicy rice make a mouth-watering combination in this cracking flavour-packed kedgeree recipe from Sophie Grigson

450 g smoked haddock fillets
85g Butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil, or vegetable oil
1 Onions, chopped
170g Basmati rice, rinsed
0.5 tbsp curry paste, (mild)
140 g frozen Peas, thawed (or fresh in season)
3 hard-boiled Eggs, chopped
2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
1 pinch black pepper
To serve:

6 lemon wedges, or lime wedges
1 jar mango chutney

Method
1. Cover the haddock with boiling water and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
2. Measure the soaking liquid and add enough water to make it up to 400ml. Skin and flake the haddock, removing any stray bones you come across, and set aside.
3. Melt 30g of the butter with the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook gently until softened but not browned.
4. Add the rice and the curry paste and stir for 1-2 minutes.
5. Pour in the measured cooking liquid, bring up to the boil then reduce heat down to a bare simmer and cover tightly.
6. Leave to cook, without disturbing for 8 minutes, and then stir in the flaked haddock and the peas.
7. Cover again and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, until the rice is quite tender and has absorbed virtually all the liquid. If absolutely necessary, add a splash more hot water to prevent burning.
8. Draw the pan off the heat, dot the rice with remaining butter, and then cover and let it stand for 4 minutes or so.
9. Add the egg and parsley and stir in lightly with a fork, fluffing up the grains of rice. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt only if needed.
10. Pile up in a mound on a serving dish and serve steaming hot with lemon or lime wedges and plenty of mango chutney.

(Original recipe here)

And if you’re still awake after reading that, here’s what I did.

I swapped the haddock fillets for artichoke hearts, which have a flakiness I love. I also added some chickpeas for protein, and for the egg yolk on the top, I used a splash of vegan mayo with a touch of black salt for egginess. I really enjoyed this and would do it again. Hope you enjoy it.

Serves 2

2tsp grapeseed oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup basmati rice
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, sliced (I used roasted in oil)
1/2 cup chickpeas

1 tbsp chopped parsley
3 tsp vegan mayo
1/2 tsp black salt

Heat oil in a large pan,  Add onion and cook until softened. Add the rice and the spices and stir for a minute or two. Pour in the water and bring to the boil, then cover and leave to cook for 8 minutes. Stir in the artichokes, peas and chickpeas.

Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes, adding another splash of water if necessary. Let sit, covered for about 4 minutes, to steam through. Pile up in a dish then add the mayo (see below).

Mix together the parsley, mayo and black salt. Splatter over the top of the rice and veggies.

I’ll be joining in with the next Food Network Friday, too. Keep an eye on Tami’s blog for the recipe!

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