Masala Kheema Shepherd's Pie

It'll be St Patrick's day in a couple of days, and I thought it fitting to share a shepherd's pie on this Irish festival. That raised an all-important question though: Is the shepherd's pie British or Irish? I always thought of shepherd's pie as a classic British thing, but others (the Irish?) claim it's Irish. Oh well. I'm doing it Indian-style anyway. Yes, indian. I want the kick of spice in my pie.

I adapted a Gordon Ramsay video recipe for the classic shepherd's pie--the man's brilliant, I love how no-nonsense he is. But I also incorporated the spices in kheema matar (spicy minced meat with peas i.e. matar. I didn't use peas, so it's just a masala mince)-- this man is brilliant too-- for an extra special touch of spicy goodness.

Masala Kheema Shepherd's Pie

serves 4

Ingredients

for the filling

500g lean minced lamb (if it's beef, it'll be cottage pie)

2 large onions, grated

1 large carrot, grated

handful of mushrooms, finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp ginger, grated (or 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste)

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cardommom pods, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp garam masla

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 cup whole plain yogurt

sea salt, black pepper

1 tbsp flour

for the mash

3-4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 egg yolk, beaten

2 tsp butter

1 tbsp parmesan + extra to top (optional but it's a secret ingredient that'll lift the dish)

sea salt, black pepper

Method

1. Boil potatoes.

2. Add oil to a hot pan, and the whole spices to toast.

3. Add the minced meat, breaking it up and searing the meat to get the caramelised brown. Season.

4. Grate in the onions, carrots, garlic and ginger. This helps them to disintegrate into the sauce better, a Ramsay tip, which is why I didn't add the onions before the mince like what vahchef did. Also add in the flour to cook out, this will help thicken the gravy later.

5. Add the mushrooms, ground spices and tomato puree, cook for 3 min more, then add the yogurt and let simmer for 10-15 min.

6. Meanwhile, your potatoes should be cooked. Drain, mash and season. Add the egg yolk, butter and parmesan to the mashed potato.

"mash that deserves to sit on my mince"

7. Add the green chillies and garam masala powder to the mince and continue to cook uncovered till you get a dry gravy. You don't want a soggy shepherd's pie. Also a good idea to pick out the cinnamon stick (and the cardamom pods) now.

8. Tip the filling into a baking dish, then top with the mashed potato and another sprinkling of parmesan. Fork through (important, to get the crispy edges!), and dot with butter.

9. Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20-25 min, or till golden.

Serve with a light salad, hopefully more indian style with thinly sliced red onions and cilantro.

How can you not love a good shepherd's pie? You can't go wrong with buttery parmesan-mashed potatoes and minced meat that's coated with rich savoury gravy , but add to that the piquant flavour and aroma of spices, and it's definitely a winner for the singaporean in me!

This is part of Hearth and Soul Blog Hop #39, Tasty Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday.