Arthritis Friendly Recipe: Vegeree

Having just spouted forth about both the benefits of greens and having less meat in your diet for arthritis, it felt like a good time to post my vegeree recipe. If you aren't from the UK, you may never have come across kedgeree, which is curried rice, egg and smoked fish brunch dish. It sounds utterly bonkers but the flavour combinations work really well. The chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, does a great vegan version in his 'River Cottage Veg' book, which we always enjoy but I wanted to try adding kale and some smoked tofu to liven it up a little. Stir-frying kale or greens on a high heat seems to cure them of their sulphury whiff and transform them. The 'minerally' taste of them is also strong enough to stand up against the smoked fish or tofu and the curried spices.

This is not a dish to be making if you arthritis is affecting your hands or arms a lot. I wouldn't attempt this on a bad day as there is quite a bit of chopping and stirring which can be difficult even with a food processor. Having said that, it's very quick to put together as well as being fantastically healthy so, if can give it a go, I promise you will enjoy it!


Ingredients:
250g packet of cooked pilau rice (or 250g cooked left over rice with a tsp turmeric stirred in)
200g kale or other greens, coarsely chopped
1 large courgette, grated
1/2 onion, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
200g smoked tofu or 1 fillet of cooked smoked haddock or smoked salmon trimmings
1 tablespoon of rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
2 tsp turmeric

Serves 3-4 as a light meal

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add in the onion and stir-fry over a low heat until softened. Crush the garlic into the pan and throw in the kale. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes or until the kale as wilted.

Add the courgette, rice, tofu (or fish) and curry powder to the pan and give everything a good mix. Stir-fry for another 3-5 minutes until everything is piping hot.

Serve with lime wedges and minted yoghurt (raita or tzatziki are very nice).


Arthritis diet notes
This is a superb anti-inflammatory, arthritis diet friendly dish. The kale, onion and garlic all  contain powerful inflammation fighting sulphur compounds. Kale is also a rich source of the bone strengthening vitamin K.  Turmeric contains the phytochemical curcumin which lab studies have shown reduced inflammation and is a traditional aryuvedic remedy for arthritis. Finally, if you eat this with the smoked salmon you will get a healthy boost of joint-friendly omega 3 fatty acids or the tofu will supply phytoestrogens which may help prevent osteoporosis

Please Share To: Facebook Twitter Google+ Linkedin Technorati Digg