18 Aug hot smoked salmon kedgeree

Kedgeree, an Indian dish that was brought back to the West by British colonials in the Victorian era, is more often associated with smoked haddock and breakfast time. Here, I’ve added a twist to the traditional recipe by using hot smoked salmon and serving it for supper.

Kedgeree

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 small onion

Half teaspoon of ground coriander

Half a teaspoon of turmeric

Half a teaspoon of ground cumin

Half a teaspoon of chilli powder

3 cardamom pods

150g rice

300ml water

1 cinnamon stick

Salt

2 eggs

2 heaped tablespoons of frozen peas

200g of hot smoked salmon

Salt

Pepper

Freshly chopped parsley

Method

1. Heat the vegetable oil over a medium to high heat in a large frying pan. Finely dice the onion and fry for 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.

2. Meanwhile, mix the coriander, turmeric, cumin and chilli powder together in a bowl. Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and crush with the back of a knife before adding to the other spices. Now add the spices to the frying pan, mixing with the onion and frying for a further two minutes.

3. Pour in the rice and the water to the pan. Give everything a stir before adding the cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered for a further 10 minutes. Don’t be tempted to lift the lid – the rice is still steaming.

4. Meanwhile, boil the two eggs for 6 to 8 minutes, so that they are slightly soft boiled but easy to peel. Add the frozen peas for the last 3 minutes before draining the lot. Peel the egg and slice into segments.

5. Flake the hot smoked salmon into chunks and add to the rice. Add the frozen peas to the rice before finishing the dish with slices of egg and a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and freshly chopped parsley.

Storecupboard Essential: Frozen peas

The humble pea freezes quite well, and it’s always a good idea to have a bag in the freezer. Whether you blitz with some ricotta, lemon and garlic to make a pea purée or add to an omlette for a pop of colour, give peas a chance.

This recipe first appeared in The Irish Independent on August 6th