serves
4
prep
10 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil or sunflower oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced, plus 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 cup (200 g) basmati rice
- 2 cardamom pods
- 2 cloves
- 8 fresh curry leaves
- 2 tsp red or brown mustard seeds
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 30 g butter
- 200 g smoked eel fillet (see Note), skin and bones removed, flaked into bite-size pieces
- flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve
Instructions
Place eggs in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 4 minutes or until soft-boiled. Drain, cool in cold water, then peel and halve. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the thinly sliced onion and stir for 6 minutes or until dark brown. Drain on paper towel and set aside to cool and crisp up a bit.
Place rice in a pan with cardamom, cloves, curry leaves, 375 ml water and a pinch of salt. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 12 minutes or until steam holes appear in the top and rice is tender. Remove from heat. Set aside for 10 minutes. Discard cardamom and cloves. Gently fluff rice with a fork.
Place remaining onion and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes or until starting to colour. Stir in remaining spices and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add butter and rice, and combine with a fork. Fold in eel, season with pepper and serve topped with the fried onions, boiled eggs and parsley.
Note
• Smoked eel fillets are available from selected fishmongers.
As seen in Feast Magazine, Issue 15, pg36.
Photography by Alan Benson
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
