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Student Suppers: Easy Coconut Kedgeree from Chef on a Diet
I’m a massive fan of breakfast for dinner. While sometimes when there has been nothing else in the fridge except for some milk and eggs I’ve eaten pancakes, I actively seek out dishes that are usually considered brunch any time of the day. My most recent breakfast-for-dinner love? Kedgeree. I’d never made it before, but after finding the recipe Chef on a Diet, a fantastic book by Sophie Michell that we’ve cooked at least one new recipe from every single week since it arrived, I fell slightly in love with this great way to use up leftovers.
Chef on a Diet is the book to buy if you are looking for lighter food that is still absolutely delicious, great for everyday and is full of bright and modern world flavours. It is my most loved new cookbook since I was given my other go-to of 2016, Simply Nigella, and we have enjoyed so much from it. Just a sampling: we brought a juicer attachment for our Kenwood Chef to have the Liver-cleansing Detox Juice (beetroot, mint, celery, apple and lemon) and the Sunshine Juice (carrot, apple and ginger) most mornings, the Huevos Rancheros are so easy and so delicious, the Cauliflower Rice with Pomegranate and Spring Onions is so bloody addictive (and has made me eat cauliflower!), the Chicken Paillard with Honey, Chilli and Fennel Marinade is fantastic on the barbecue, the Butternut Squash with Za’atar is so simple and so lovely, the Boureki (served with barbecued steak) is the best thing to do with all of the courgettes we have been growing, and there now is pretty much always a batch of the books classic dressing made up in the fridge to go on everything. Yes, we have cooked and enjoyed an awful lot from the book since it arrived, and there is still so much more we want to make.
You can make this recipe with as many or as few coconut products as you like. Recently, the guys at The Coconut Company sent me some of their coconut milk powder (which I don’t use here, but it is amazing and the only coconut milk power I have ever tried that actually works, great when you only want a small amount for a recipe) and a bottle of their coconut vinegar, which is lovely; a bit tarter and brighter than white wine vinegar, while still managing to be a bit sweeter too (and is currently on sale!) It was delicious using a couple of spoonfuls in the poaching water for the eggs. The main coconut flavour here comes from coconut oil, which they sell in several different sizes, and while I finished my rice with tamari as it is what I had to hand, the original recipe uses coconut aminos, which are easily sourced from Coconut Co.
This recipe serves 2 generously, or 3 of you if you’re dishing it up for brunch with perhaps a fruit salad on the side. It also warms up really well and is also rather good cold (with the lime wedges, coriander and sriracha, without the poached egg, but possibly with a hard boiled egg) so it would be a great Monday lunchtime packed lunch if you’re making this at the weekend.
Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat until it is shimmering.
Add the spring onions, chilli and garlic, and fry for a few minutes until the pieces have started to soften not brown.
Add the spices, and fry for another minute until the spices are aromatic.
Add the rice, and stir until it is all coated in the spices.
Flake and add the salmon. Cook until the salmon is heated through. If you want to use a smoked or non-smoked salmon fillet that has not been pre-cooked, you can quickly do a cheats poach by wrapping it in a piece of foil with a splash of water or white wine, and some salt and pepper, and baking it in a 200 degree (390 fahrenheit) oven for 10 minutes.
Season the rice with the coconut aminos, tamari or soy sauce, and a little sea salt to taste.
Set it aside to keep warm while you poach the eggs. I like to do this by adding the vinegar to a pan of just boiled water and setting it over a medium heat. Once small bubbles start to form, I swirl the water and drop in the egg to poach for 3-4 minutes. Instead of cracking the egg straight into the water where you might get shell, I crack it into a ramekin first. As with most things worth doing, the art of the perfect poached egg really is practice makes perfect.
When you are reading dish up, stir the coriander into the rice, and divide it between two plates, topping each portion with a poached egg and an extra garnish of coriander leaves. Sriracha is not for everyone, so take the bottle to the table so everyone can regulate their own amount of heat!
I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
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My Book
One Pan Pescatarian: 100 Delicious Dinners – Veggie, Vegan, Fish
My second cookbook contains 100 delicious dinner recipes, all of which are either vegetarian, vegan or which celebrate fish and seafood - all cooked in either one pot or one pan.*
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