Monday, September 15, 2014

A Kind of Kedegeree

Foods that one will happily consume at 3am don't always transition well to daylight hours. The below is my invented version of a dish that I later learned was a well-known British adaptation of an Indian dish called "Kedgeree"  - a dish of curried rice and flaked fish topped with an egg - which is great for a savory breakfast or brunch (or end-of-evening adventure). Though I've only ever prepared it one serving at a time, I could imagine it easily being adapted for a crowd, with eggs cracked over the top of a cast-iron pan full of the rice mixture, quickly cooked-and-crisped under the broiler. And because my time in Kenya combined with early farm-share experience (and good nutrition!) means I like adding kale to everything, well - there's kale in this as well. The slight bitterness of hardy greens offers a nice complement to the rich, creamy texture of medium-cooked eggs in a range of dishes. 


Ingredients


1 egg
1/4 cup basmati rice
Preferred curry powder (mild, medium or hot)
2-3 leaves kale, or other sturdy, dark, leafy-green
1-2 tbsp. coconut milk
salt
olive oil

Cook the rice in a small saucepan: combine the rice with double its volume in water and about 1/4 tsp. of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, until the water is just absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse and chop the kale. Add 1 tbsp. oil to a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the kale and cook with a dash of salt until darker green and just wilted, 4-5 minutes. Remove kale from pan and set aside. 

When the rice is ready, mix in the coconut milk and 3/4 tbsp. curry powder or to taste. 

Cook the egg in the same sauté pan over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes - ideally no harder than medium. It's nice to leave the egg "sunny-side-up," which can be done more easily by covering the sauté pan for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.

Assemble and serve: in a bowl, add first the rice, then the kale, and top with the egg. Alternatively, mix the kale and rice and serve with the egg on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

As noted above, the rice and kale portion could be multiplied as needed to fill a 9-inch cast-iron pan. Make small divots in the rice and crack 6 eggs into them, then cook under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, or until just medium. Serve hot.