Easy Tuna Kedgeree (our Family Friday Night Special Recipe)

Friday Night Special is a McNee family recipe originally passed on by Neil's sister, Suzanne, many years ago. Whilst I still rely on memory, it was a good excuse to talk to Sue tonight to find out what the original recipe actually was. I had remembered it fairly well, but have obviously gradually increased the quantity of curry powder over the years. The original recipe was only two teaspoons.

I have changed it slightly to suit our tastes and I realise  now that it is loosely based on fish kedgeree, but it's not as involved. However, it can be easily adapted, with the use of different curry ingredients, homemade tomato sauce, the cooked fish of your choice, curry leaves etc. In my house if certain favourite dishes were cooked regularly when the children were at still home, I was given the message loud and clear, and still am,  not to mess with the original. If it works and tastes great, leave it alone. This is a classic example, where the recipe as given below is very popular in our family, however can be easily modified if you are feeling creative.

This dish works even better if the rice is cooked the day before and left to chill in the refrigerator,  the same principle as cooking fried rice. It is also a great way to use up leftover rice.

Most of the ingredients used are staple items in most pantries. The fish dish also heats up beautifully as leftovers,  tastes great cold, freezes well, and stretches the budget.

This is a very easy Friday night dish, and is great comfort food at the end of a long, hard week.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, or oil of your choice
• 1 large finely chopped onion
• 2 finely chopped tomatoes
• 1  425g can tuna in spring water
• 1 tablespoon mango chutney (optional)
• 3-4  cups cold cooked brown or white rice
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (Passata or homemade tomato sauce may be used instead of supermarket purchased bottled sauce)
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (I use Clive of India)
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 1 cup thawed frozen peas
• 6 hard boiled eggs

Method:

1. Saute the onion and tomato in oil until starting to soften and add curry powder. Saute for a few minutes until curry powder is cooking well with the onion and tomato.
2. Drain tuna and add to mixture in pan. Mix tuna into the tomato and onion and add desiccated coconut and stir through.
3. Whilst simmering, add rice cup by cup and stir  through the mixture.
4. Add the tomato sauce and chutney and mix through. 
5. Add peas and stir through.
6. This can be served in your stove top frying pan or add to your serving dish and decorate with halved hard boiled eggs.

Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Enjoy!

Dear Reader, Do you have a favourite family recipe that you cook by relying on memory and that you never change because the family prefers it the way you have always cooked it? Or do you sometimes try to change it and wonder if anyone will notice?

This an original recipe  by Pauline at Happy  Retirees  Kitchen.

Warm wishes

Pauline