I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. And again and again if I have to.
If I could eat curry every day, I would. I’m a Malaysian Chinese, but really, I’m Indian at heart.
Malaysia’s a multicultural country and I think it’s wonderful being able to be in an environment that’s culturally diverse. Growing up, my neighbors, bus drivers, teachers and shop owners were all of different races. Diversity was all I ever knew. My best friends were Muslims, Indians & Chinese. Race didn’t mean anything to us.
And it wasn’t that we didn’t know we were different. We were all very aware that we were different. But it was just natural to accept the differences and to embrace our unique backgrounds. We respected each other’s beliefs and practices. We also excitedly visited each other’s homes during special festivals and celebrations. All we cared about was having a great time… and the food. And that is how I grew up sampling and learning about the different cuisines.
Speaking of food, I ate my very first shepherd’s pie in my late teens at a friend’s place. My parents never made anything ‘baked’ because we didn’t have an oven at home. I fell in love with the concept of a shepherd’s pie at first sight. It was fantastic. Funny thing is, this was actually the first and the last time I had the so called ‘original’ shepherd’s pie.
Like I said… I love curry. If I can curri-fy anything, like this delicious curried beef stew, I would. So of course it was a no-brainer the first shepherd’s pie I made many years later had a curry filling. Diversity or rather fusion in food is beautiful too.
The verdict? It was to die for. Especially if you love curry. Even if you don’t, you just might fall in love with curry (like that someone I made this for once). It’s impossible to resist this hearty rich curry beef stew baked under a thick blanket of creamy fluffy crusted mashed potatoes. O.M.G!
My last post: A life lesson from a rain gutter
For me, I’d currify everything, for you, you’d…?
Curried Shepherd’s Pie Serves 4-6
what you need:
Meat Filling
Curry spice paste (or use a ready-made curry paste):
1 medium onion, peeled
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1″ ginger, peeled
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup oil
6 tbs meat curry powder
1/2 cup water
1 1/3 lb ground beef (or your preferred meat)
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot (1 cup), diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup water or beef broth
2 tsp salt or to taste
Pinch of sugar
Mashed Potato
3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into half length wise
1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes and soften
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper
directions:
Meat filling: Best made the day before so flavors can develop
1. In a blender, add the onion, garlic, ginger, 1/4 cup water and oil. Blend until smooth.
2. In a small bowl, combine the curry powder and 1/2 cup water. Mix it to make a curry paste.
3. Over medium high heat, add the onion mixture from the blender into a pan and fry until translucent. Add the curry paste, reduce the heat to medium low and fry for 10 minutes until fragrant. Add water or oil 1 tablespoon at a time if the spice paste is too dry. Don’t let it burn. Set aside the curry spice paste.
4. Over medium high heat, add a thin coat of oil into a pan and sear the ground beef. Set aside.
5. Over medium high heat, add one tablespoon of oil into a pan and fry the onions until soften. Add the carrots and fry until carrots are semi soften (add water or oil if it becomes too dry). Add in the beef and peas and stir to combine. Add the curry spice paste and fry for a couple minutes. Add the water (or beef stock) and bring it to a boil.
6. Once boiled, season with salt and sugar. Turn the heat to medium and let simmer for 15-20 minutes while stirring occasionally. Make sure it’s doesn’t become overly dry. If it is, add more water. At the end of simmering, taste and adjust seasoning.
Notes:
1. Spiciness: Different curry powder have a different level of spiciness. I used 6 tablespoons and it was moderately spicy for me (quite spicy for Mr.V). Know your curry powder well. Add between 2 to 5 tablespoons curry powder for less spicy or more than 6 tbs curry powder for even an even spicier curry. Adjust the amount of water to make the curry paste accordingly.
2. You can always double or triple the curry spice paste recipe, freeze it and your own ready-made curry spice paste is ready to be used next time.
Mashed potatoes
1. Add the potatoes into a pot of water along with 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Cover and bring it to a boil. Once boiled, turn the heat down and let it gently simmer for 20 – 25 minutes until a fork can easy pierce the potatoes. It’s better that the potatoes be slightly overcooked then undercooked to not have coarse bits of potatoes.
2. Drain the potatoes well and put them back into the same pot. Turn the heat to high for 40 seconds to evaporate the remaining liquid.
3. Use a wire masher, mash downwards 2 rounds around the pot. Make sure to keep the masher against the pot so you don’t miss any potatoes.
4. Add the cubed butter and mash a few more rounds around the pot.
5. Add the milk, mash and stir a little more.
6. Add the salt and black pepper, use a whisk and stir for 10 – 15 seconds. Don’t over stir or it’ll become gooey.
Notes:
1. If you like your mashed potato more buttery, add 1/4 cup more butter.
2. If you like your mashed potato a thinner consistency, add more milk.
3. If you like your mashed potato chunkier, don’t mash too much.
Assembling the Pie
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. In a 10″ or 12″ cast iron pan or equivalent, add the meat filling to the bottom of the pan. Top with mashed potatoes. Place an aluminum lined sheet pan a rack below the pan just in case the meat bubbles over.
3. Bake the shepherd’s pie for 25 minutes. Change the setting to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes or until browned to your liking.
4. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle some paprika for color if you want.
