Classic recipe corner: A simple, mid-week kedgeree

Kedgeree is a dish that I seem to recall my Mum being very fond of when we were younger, although I think that I am right in saying that her version contained cream.  It's certainly very delicious indeed, and a welcome addition to our regular supper rotation.  It doesn't feel like the combination of smoked fish and curry should work but it really, really does.  When I decided to make this, research seemed to suggest as many different methods of making it as...well, there were lots.  This is a very, very simple version which just allows the lovely flavour combinations to shine through and is closely based on Felicity Cloake's "Perfect" recipe.  We initially made it, as she suggests and as the picture shows, with soft boiled eggs on top but decided in a later version to have one hard-ish boiled egg chopped through and then a poached topping where the yolk runs down and creates a little bit of a sauce which works really well.

16 pro points gives you a hefty portion size - even D, who tends to fine my portions a bit meagre - was quite happy with this.  But to reduce the points even further, you could get away with cutting down on the amount of rice.

This is terribly easy to cook but be warned, it uses a lot of different pans so have a handy husband standing by to wash up.

Ingredients

165g basmati rice
250g smoked haddock
30g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced thinly
2 crushed cardamom pods
1 tbsp curry powder
3 medium eggs
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Small handful of chives, chopped
Small bunch of coriander, chopped
Lemon wedges to serve

Serves 2, 16 pro points per portion

You could soak the rice beforehand but I don't tend to find it makes a whit of difference.  In which case, cook the rice in salted water according to your usual method.  I use my mother in law's foolproof technique which is to use double the volume of water as to rice, bring to the boil and then cover and turn the heat down to the lowest setting and leave for five minutes.  Then turn off the heat altogether and leave covered for a further five minutes at which point all the water should be absorbed and you should have perfect rice.

In a second pan, place the fish (skin side up) cover with boiling water and then place over a low heat and cook for ten minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon (you can discard the cooking water) and, when cool enough to handle, flake.

Hardish boil one of your eggs - Delia's six minute method is perfect.  Be sure to run it under cool water as soon as it comes out of the pan to ensure that it doesn't continue to cook.  Peel and chop.

You now have all the constituent parts of your kedgeree - the rice, fish and egg can be done in advance.  Now for cooking.  Put one third of the butter in a large pan and melt.  Put a pan of boiling water on the heat, complete with white wine vinegar, ready for the eggs.

Fry the onion gently until softened before adding the chilli and the spices.  Cook out for a couple of minutes, or until the curry powder has lost its "raw" smell, and then add the rice and stir well to ensure that it is all coated.  Then add the fish, the egg and the remaining butter, combine well, and check the seasoning.  Smoked haddock tends to be quite salty so you will need a judicious hand with the salt cellar, but kedgeree loves plenty of black pepper.

At about this point, you can put your eggs on to poach.  They will only need a couple of minutes, so while they are going for it, stir through the fresh herbs and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and dish up the rice and the fish into warmed plates.  Slide the perfectly poached egg onto the top before serving.