Fish Kedgeree - A Recipe from the Cookbook of Ada de la Harpe

Poor old khichuri/khichiri/khichdi, whatever did the Raj do to you! Yes, the origins of the British dish kedgeree are this simple mix of rice and dhal cooked together with spices that Bengali women made with the coming of the monsoon. The consistency of it depended on the dhal that was used, says Chitrita Banerji in her  delightful Bengali Cooking Seasons and Festivals,  'thin, thick or dry and fluffy like a pilaf, plain or with seasonal winter vegetables like new potatoes, green peas and cauliflower'. But no matter what the consistency 'each grain of rice and dhal has to be fully cooked but not soft enough to lose its identity'. Banerji gives a recipe for a 'simple khichuri' which involves garam masala, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, green chilies, turmeric, and the distinctive flavour of mustard oil.

By the time the dish had settled in England and Mrs Beeton got her hands on it it bore no resemblance whatsoever to its progenitor and had been relegated from something special to Rechauffes, dishes for using up left-overs, and it is Mrs B's version that Ada used with a few characteristically Sri Lankan variations.

Ada's version (in all these blog posts I will give you Ada's recipe as she wrote it, and then my updated version)
Cold salmon [my mother at some later time has noted it should be 1 tin]. 1 tea-spoonful chopped parsley. 1 tea-spoonful chopped red onions. 1 dessert-spoonful butter. 2 hard-boiled eggs. boiled rice (about a tea-cupful), the juice of 1 lime. salt, pepper, cayenne to taste.


Method.
Remove the bone and skin from the fish. Take the boiled rice and place it in a saucepan with the butter. Add pepper, salt, onions, lime juice, and cayenne and stir well over the fire. When quite warm, turn out into a dish: mix in the fish, and the slices of hard boiled eggs. Fill into a well-buttered mould and press it in well. Place a cover with a weight on it. Stand the mould in boiling water for 1/2 an hour before serving. Should turn out like a blancmange on to a flat dish.


Here on the other hand is Mrs B's.
1 lb cold fish (smoked haddock is generally preferred). 1/4 lb rice. 2 hard-boiled eggs. 2 oz butter. salt and pepper. cayenne pepper.


Boil and dry the rice. Divide the fish into small flakes. Cut the whites of the eggs into slices and sieve the yolks. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add to it the fish, rice, egg whites, salt, pepper and cayenne and stir until hot. Turn the mixture onto a hot dish. Press into the shape of a pyramid with a fork, decorate with egg yolk and serve as hot as possible.

I like that Ada has added in the red onions and lime juice and making more of a steamed pudding out of the dish.


So here's my updated version of Ada's recipe
250g fresh filleted salmon with the skin on
vinegar
2 bay leaves
5 or 6 peppercorns
1 cup boiled rice
2 tsp chopped onion or shallots
2 tsp chopped parsley
1 dstp butter
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
juice of 1 lime
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
red wine vinegar
lettuce leaves
cherry tomatoes


Poach the salmon in a shallow frypan in water with a dash of vinegar, the peppercorns and the bay leaves. You want the fish to be cooked through but still firm. When poached, take it out of the frypan, remove the skin, flake the salmon and remove any remaining bones.


Heat the butter in frypan and when just bubbling, add in 1 tsp of chopped onions, the lime juice and the chili powder and stir for a minute or two.


In a bowl, combine the fish, boiled rice, 1 tsp of chopped parsley, the buttery spiced sauce, and the remaining tsp of chopped onion ( I like this because it adds a touch of pungency). Add a little salt and pepper. Check the seasoning and if you want to add more lime juice or salt.


Butter a souffle dish (or other shallowish dish) big enough to take the mix that you have. Put in half the mix. Lay the sliced eggs on top. Cover with the rest of the rice and fish mixture. Press this down firmly. If you have something to put over all of this to weigh it down further, do so.


Boil water in a pan into which the souffle dish will easily fit. The water should come up to about 2/3 of the way up the side of the souffle dish. Leave on the fire at a gently rolling boil for 1/2 hour.


Turn out the kedgeree onto a plate. Now at this stage, you can eat it hot or let it get cold and have it as a salad. Either way, when it comes to serving. Put some fresh lettuce leaves around the moulded dish. Toss the remaining 1 tsp of chopped parsley over the dish. Decorate to your delight with cherry tomatoes on the top or on the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle all with a dash of red wine vinegar.

Here's a  picture a-la-Mrs B of my version.  I like to think that it's half way back down the track to making this bastard child special.