Hobson-Jobson

Kedgeree

Appears in

Published 2018

About

In the beginning there was khichiri, or something like it (there are many variant spellings). Khichiri is still very much with us and is an intrinsic part of the diet of Northern India and Bangladesh. It is a remarkable pilaff of rice and red lentils that is perfumed with garam masala and has a gloriously light and fluffy texture. By that process known as Hobson-Jobson, a dish now bearing little resemblance (barring the presence of rice) to the original, borrowed the name and kedgeree was born.

Both dishes have many variants. Khichiri can be a simple dish of rice and lentils or a vehicle for all sorts of other vegetables – cauliflower, peas and potatoes can all feature – and even occasionally some fish and meat. Kedgeree can have a similar texture to khichiri or it can, as Escoffier would have it, come with a rich but somewhat ersatz curry sauce. Similarly, a number of diverse ingredients – haddock, eggs, sultanas, prawns, ketchup (sic) – have found their way into a kedgeree. Such was the portmanteau nature of the dish that it became defined as a way of using up the previous day’s leftovers for breakfast.