South Asian Shepherd’s Pie

THE CURRY POWDER we are all familiar with is an Anglo-Indian invention, created by British colonials wanting to recapture at home the flavours they had grown to love in India. In the hands of Indian cooks, bland English dishes such as Shepherd’s Pie developed a new and exotic personality.

Potatoes 3 large, peeled

Plain Yogurt ¼ cup

Milk ¼ cup Butter 1 Tbs Salt 1 tsp

Fresh Coriander 1 handful, chopped

Lemon juice of 1 Turmeric 1 tsp

Mild Green Finger Chile 1, chopped

Vegetable Oil 1 Tbs

Onion 1 medium, finely diced

Curry Leaf 3 sprigs, divided

Fresh Ginger 1” knob, chopped

Garlic 2 fat cloves, chopped

Ground Beef 500 g

Curry Powder 1 Tbs

Chicken or Beef Stock ½ cup

Soy Sauce 2 Tbs

Worcestershire Sauce 1 Tbs

Coconut Milk ½ cup

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 BOIL the potatoes in salted water until very tender. Drain and mash with the yogurt, milk and butter. Stir in the salt, lemon juice, coriander, turmeric and chile. Set aside.

2 HEAT the oil in a large skillet. Strip the leaves from one sprig of curry leaf and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the onions and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add the ground beef and curry powder and sauté until the meat is just browned.

3 STIR in the stock, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper.

4 SCRAPE the meat mixture into an ovenproof casserole dish and spread the mashed potato evenly on top. Lay the two remaining curry leaf sprigs on top and bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.