The healthy benefits of curried smoked fish

In an updated classic kedgeree recipe, the full-bodied flavour of smoky fish is balanced by refreshing vegetables. The golden hue of this dish comes from the turmeric-coloured rice, the corn and the yolks of boiled eggs.

This dish is full of the naturally occurring chemical lutein, which is good for eye health. Corn is also a useful source of fiber, folate and antioxidants. All three of these are associated with a lower risk of cancer. This dish has 537 calories, 17 grams of fat, 31 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fibre.

Preparation 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes standing

Cooking 25 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 300 g (2/3 lb) skinless smoked cod or haddock fillet
• 30 g (2 tbsp) olive oil or canola oil
• 240 g (1 c) basmati rice
• 7 g (1 1/2 tsp) cumin seeds
• 7 g (1 1/2 tsp) turmeric
• 1 L (4 c) hot fish stock
• 240 g (1 c) frozen corn
• 4 eggs
• 240 g (1 c) small broccoli florets
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 30 g (2 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Finely chop the onion and cut the smoked fish into 1.5 centimetre (3/4 inch) pieces. Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes. Reduce heat and stir in the rice, cumin seeds and turmeric. Add the hot stock, return to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for five minutes.
2. Add the frozen corn and return to a boil. Add the fish, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the stock has been absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, cook the eggs for eight minutes in a pot of boiling water.
4. Remove the rice from the heat and let it stand, covered, for five minutes.
5. Drain the boiled eggs, rinse them under cold water, and shell and quarter them. Place the broccoli in a pot, add boiling water to cover and return to a boil. Reduce the heat, simmer for three minutes and drain.
6. Add the broccoli and lemon zest to the kedgeree. Top with the eggs and parsley and season with black pepper.

• Chunks of fresh salmon are fine in place of smoked fish.
• Omit the uncooked fish in step 2 and serve the rice topped with shredded smoked salmon, allowing 240 grams (1/2 pound) per person, or use smoked mackerel, allowing 300 grams (2/3 pound) per person.
• For a vegetarian kedgeree, add 150 grams (1/3 cup) red lentils to the rice and omit the smoked haddock. Use vegetable stock in step 1 and increase the amount to 1.25 litres (5 1/4 cups).

And here's one last tip from the pros: running hard-boiled eggs under cold water stops the cooking process and prevents a gray-green ring from forming around the yolk. Enjoy this delicious kedgeree inspired dish.