food to glow

Start the weekend with this easy Cauliflower Rice Kedgeree – lower-carb, full of fibre and with a lovely smoky spiciness. This is a twist on a classic Scots-Indian breakfast recipe.

Post by Kellie Anderson, Food To Glow > Curried rice, smoked fish and eggs, together, in a breakfast dish? Yep, it seems odd. Even for a supper it seems odd. But, if you have ever had a decent kedgeree, you know it works. And, with all of that protein, this traditional Scots-Indian breakfast dish is much more than a tasty plate of food, it really sets you up for the day. Kedgeree is the Scottish version of the Ayurvedic Indian dish, Kitchari, adding smoked fish and eggs in place of lentils in this easy to make recipe.

Kedgeree is found on posh breakfast menus up and down the British Isles. If I see it on a menu, I order it. Forget Eggs Benedict, my luxury choice will always be a fragrant dish of kedgeree.

Even though it is an incredibly delicious breakfast, brunch or supper dish, I imagine it is not a common one. Certainly not in this century. Not many of us, on a frantic Monday morning, will have time or inclination to stir fry rice with curry powder, boil some eggs, and chuck in some smoked fish. Not gonna happen. But, at the weekend, if your pace is more snail than rabbit, it really should be on your menu. Kedgeree is a fabulous breakfast for two or three, or scaled up for a classy family and friends brunch.Healthy types might balk at the white rice typical of this dish, plumping for avocado toast yet again. But it is surprisingly easy to give this traditional British recipe a nutritious makeover and still get a credible result.

The secret? Okay, it is in the title. But yes, it is cauliflower rice. Now a staple go-to in many households, cauliflower rice/couscous now subs for rice in many hot and cold dishes. Even supermarkets have bags of it. I’ve got a few recipes for using cauliflower rice on Food To Glow – this Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Bowl springs to mind. But it is not a constant in my house.

I like rice. I like it white, brown, basmati, wild and jasmine. Cauliflower rice is reserved for when I’ve had loads of bread, rice or pasta recently. Or when I want to ramp up my fiber intake without too much effort. I wouldn’t say it is my favourite thing to eat. Why would it be when actual rice is so flipping tasty?

But, cauliflower rice can be pretty awesome when paired with equally strong tastes, like curry and smoked fish. And eggs for that matter.

You may have found that making cauliflower rice is a terrible faff. Grating cauliflower on a box grater is frustrating (it pings everywhere); in a food processor it turns to mush with big bits left in (*quickly makes cauliflower soup instead*); chuck it in a blender will give you a weird smoothie rather rice.

Or will it?

How to Make Easy, No-Mess Cauliflower Rice

Follow this method and you will never need to buy it ready-made from the supermarket again. Or drink a cauliflower smoothie ever again. 🙂

WHAT YOU DO:

Roughly chop a head of de-leaved cauliflower. Really just to be able to fit it in a blender. Put the chopped cauliflower into your blender. COVER WITH WATER. Pulse until you have cauliflower of the desired consistency – 3-4 seconds is usually right for rice; about 5-6 seconds for couscous. Do a little happy dance while you pulse. Drain the rice/couscous and do whatever you wish with it. And I hope you wish to make this!

You can keep extra cauliflower rice /couscous in a large jar or box in your fridge for up to five days. I even keep it bagged in the freezer – after first open-freezing on a tray for half an hour. Steam it, stir fry it, roast it, bake it, enjoy it raw – whatever you like.

WHY WATER? The water makes the cauliflower buoyant and keeps it from hanging out at the bottom of the jug turning to puree whilst the rest gets barely touched. It really works. Everything is a uniform size and consistency and perfect for your recipes. It’s that easy. 🙂

Now, back to the kedgeree. I tend to make this with half cauliflower and half cooked brown basmati (either leftover or from a pouch), but it is equally delicious (if not quite as satisfying) with all cauliflower rice. If you use all cauliflower, add a little more curry powder.

About that curry powder: use good stuff. Don’t use the jar lurking at the back of the spice cupboard since 2013. You need something robust and flavourful. I cheat and use a homemade blend made by the mother of my daughter’s Sri Lankan friend, Dharini. But any kind that you like and that tastes good to you will do. If your blend has lost some of its potency, just add more. Garam masala is also a good tweak.

As for the fish, smoked haddock is traditional but I’m always trying to increase my oily fish intake, and using smoked mackerel is a cheap way to do so – and no risk of contaminants. I try and buy mine from my fishmongers. A good fish shop will only lightly smoke and salt their fish as they expect you to eat it soon and not try and keep it for weeks on end. But supermarket stuff is fine, too. If you chance upon a good brand or fishmongers, buy more smoked fish than you need and freeze the rest.

Vegetarian? Ditch the smoked fish. It won’t really be kedgeree, but it will be pretty darn tasty.

Have you ever had kedgeree? Do you make it at home? Did you already know the cauliflower rice trick? It’s a good one, huh?