breakfast

Easy-peasy kinda-kedgeree

The other morning I really, really fancied kedgeree. But not having any fish in the house, I made a vague approximation - just chilli and garlic, leftover rice, a couple of rashers of grilled bacon and a boiled egg. Added a few drops of soy sauce and done ...

And it was surprisingly good!

Kinda kedgeree

Kinda kedgeree

Cheat's kedgeree

I've still got a hankering for kedgeree though, and today made this 'cheat's version' - it couldn't really be simpler, especially if you use tinned tuna, or already-cooked leftover fish like the sea bass I had.

This makes a really good + quick meal - perfect for brunch or a simple supper.

For two, you'll need:

4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

0.5-1 tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tsp curry powder

Some hot cooked rice - you choose how much! 

Cooked white fish or a tin of tuna

2 eggs, boiled for 6 minutes, run under cold water to stop them cooking further and then shelled

Parsley and lemon wedges, to serve

Cook the spring onions in a frying pan with a little oil or butter (I'm using 20 sprays of my 1-cal spray oil plus a tiny splash of water) with the chilli flakes and curry powder.

Cook for a minute or or - don't let them stick or burn, add more oil or water if necessary.

Stir in the rice - and add the fish. Cook, stirring, until it's all hot through.

Turn out onto plates, adding an egg each and some chopped parsley (if you have some) and lemon.

It might be the 'cheat' version, but it's still really good! 


5 fave breakfasts/brunches

Usually a weekday breakfast is something quick - a croissant, fruit and yogurt, a green smoothie or just toast and marmite.  My daily cup of tea first thing and then a coffee grabbed on the way to the office (flat white please!).

And several days a week I skip breakfast altogether as I'm interested in intermittent fasting and by having dinner a little earlier than usual the night before, say finishing at 8pm, and then not eating until 1pm the next day, that's created a nice 17 hour break for your digestive system (and I find it easy to do, with a couple of coffees in the morning though - I'm not that strict about it).

But when there's time to cook something more special, and time to enjoy and spend longer over breakfast, chatting or reading, these are my favourite brunches.  I'm not sure you can call them breakfast really when it's after 10am.

So after a cup of tea, after journaling, after a walk outdoors round the park, here's what I come back and make ...

 

1. Eggs in purgatory

A little garlic, a very little chilli, eggs poached in tomatoes and sprinkled with parmesan. Mine rarely make it out of the pan when I make this just for me as I dunk bits of baguette in and scoop spoonfuls straight from the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Kai jeow - Thai omelette

Yes, another eggy breakfast. Eggs are good!

I love this Thai omelette - really savoury with minced pork, served with some chopped chillies in fish sauce.  You can serve it with rice or have it on its own.

I also do a super-quick version using ready cooked diced chicken or pork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Pad krapow gai - spicy stir fry with chicken and holy basil

I ate this all the time for breakfast when I lived in Thailand.  

I loved that there was all the usual variety of food for breakfast, rather than 'breakfast food' as we often categorise it.  

I'm not sure why that is, but it doesn't have to be that way and for me, a favourite first meal of the day is this very spicy, very good stir fry with rice - and sometimes with a fried egg on top too.

If you can't get holy basil, it's still worth making without it.

 

4.  Kao pad gai - chicken fried rice

Rachel Redlaw kao pad gai chicken fried rice

Especially good if there's been a rice dish the night before - I deliberately cook extra rice so there's some for breakfast as this is best made with cold cooked rice.

Just something so comforting about this dish (it's a good one for mopping up hangovers too).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. And number 5 ... is a total cheat!

I couldn't decide, so it's 'anything made from a combination of these ingredients'!

Avocado, smoked salmon, eggs and spinach.

Rachel Redlaw breakfast brunch
RAchel Redlaw avocado on toast

It could be avocado on toast with a squeeze of lime and a little salt and a few chilli flakes.

Or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on spinach. Poached eggs on sliced avocado with a little dill on top. Any combination of these things is going to be a winner!

 

So ... what are your favourite brunches? 


Rachel Redlaw

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Eggs in purgatory

Spoiler alert! This isn’t Thai, not even ‘ish’, just not at all. It’s Italian I think, well it comes straight from Nigella Lawson’s Nigellissima but it’s just such a good recipe I want to share it.  One of my favourite weekend brunch recipes of all time and it’s going in as the first entry into a new category, ‘Rest of the World’.

Super simple too, you just need:

olive oil

one clove of garlic, minced

1/4-1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

approx half a 400g pack or tin chopped tomatoes

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably flakes

one egg

a couple of teaspoons of Parmesan, plus a little more to serve

baguette or toast, to serve

The Tiniest Thai Rachel Walder eggs in purgatory

Add a splash or olive oil to a pan, add in the garlic and chilli flakes and stir over a medium heat for about 30 seconds to a minute.

The Tiniest Thai Rachel Walder eggs in purgatory

Tip in the chopped tomatoes and salt, and bring to a bubble.

The Tiniest Thai Rachel Walder eggs in purgatory

Crack the egg straight in and sprinkle the Parmesan over, leaving some of the yolk still exposed.

The Tiniest Thai Rachel Walder eggs in purgatory

Turn down to a simmer, partially cover with a lid, and leave for about four minutes (maybe have a quick check after three minutes).

 
The Tiniest Thai Rachel Walder eggs in purgatory
 

A little black pepper and another sprinkle of Parmesan and it’s done – scoop the egg and tomatoes out with a ladle and serve in a bowl.

To be honest I only did that today as it looked nicer for the pictures – normally I just eat it straight from the pan!

 
The Tiniest Thai Rachel Walder eggs in purgatory
 


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