Viv Moon's OUTDOOR & TRAVELLER'S eCOOKBOOK

KEDGEREE - a One Pot Meal

Originating in Scotland and Colonial India, the dish consisted of curried rice, smoked fish (haddock), boiled eggs, parsley and lemon juice. My Aussie version has a lot more added to the basics, and I've never used smoked fish.

My Mum gave me this old family favourite recipe, and while she used tin fish, it is absolutely wonderful with lots of fresh, cooked fish. It’s a must when we have an over abundance of steaky fish such as Spanish Mackeral.

But a good old can of tuna will also make a delicious, quick and simple one dish meal. It's a staple that I make most camping trips. Make it as hot as you like with the curry, or just add a little if feeding the kids.

Kedgeree - One Pot Meal

The trick to making this dish is to cook the rice beforehand, and if possible, leave it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. That way you have nice, separated, fluffy rice and not a gluggy clump.

And, don't overcook your rice. It should still be 'al dente', slightly firm, and cool it under cold water as soon as its cooked to stop it cooking any further. Drain well, and spread out in a large tray. Refrigerate overnight if possible to help dry the rice out.

Serves 4 to 6 (or more depending on your ratio of rice to other ingredients)

Ingredients
2 or 3 cups of cooked rice (don’t overcook the rice or you’ll have sticky, gluggy kedgeree)
1 to 2 tblspns oil
2 onions – finely chopped
1 to 2 tpns crushed garlic - optional
1 cup celery – finely chopped
1 cup carrot – finely chopped
2 to 3 cups approx of freshly cooked fish (or as much as you like) - cut or broken up into small pieces (or use 1 x large tin tuna or salmon - drained)
approx 2 tablespoons curry powder (depending on taste and heat)
3 cooked hard boiled eggs - chopped
1 cup peas - cooked
1 small tin corn kernels - drained
some chopped fresh parsley - optional
pinch chili flakes - optional if you want more heat!!

Directions
Heat the oil in your camp oven or in a large pan, and add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and stir for a few minutes.

Add the curry powder and mix well through the vegetables. Stir over heat for a few minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and simply heat through and serve.

Don’t leave it on the heat more than you need, as it will become sticky or gummy.

Viv’s hint: any leftovers are wonderful cold for lunch with dry biscuits or on a sandwich.

If making it up at home, finish heating it in the microwave – it will prevent the rice becoming gluggy.