Daal-ing Sheperds Pie

(Gluten-free, diabetic-friendly, vegan)

Daal, also spelt 'dal' or 'dahl', is a thick curry made with lentils.  Daal, an important part of Indian or Sri Lankan cuisine, has many different varieties and is typically served with rice and vegetables.
Tonight I thought I might spice things up a bit (excuse the lamest pun in the world!) and make a daal pie, with a rice base.  Curries are always really nice with potatoes, so I thought instead of putting them in, why not put them on and make a shepherds pie?

Warning! This meal is not a good idea if you don't have a lot of time! The total preparation and cooking time probably takes up to 2hours, but you could pre-prepare the base earlier on.

You will need...

Base: 
2 cups brown rice
Filling:
About 3 cups of pre-soaked and boiled lentils/legumes of your choice
 2 cloves ginger
ginger
1 onion
mustard seeds approx 1 tsp
curry leaves, maybe 3 or 4?
chilli flakes
cumin (lots!)
3/4 can of coconut milk
1 cup each of grated carrot and zucchini
mushrooms
eggplant
broccoli
Topping:
1 (large) or 2 (medium) potatoes
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
mustard seeds
cumin
1/4 can coconut milk

 Boil the rice in water with a clove of garlic and some ginger (both left whole).  Regularly stir and check the rice while it is cooking to see if more water needs to be added.  Cook the rice until it is quite soft and until there is no water left (about 45min to an hour).  Remove the clove of garlic and ginger from amongst the rice and spread the rice out over a shallow baking dish.  Put the rice in the oven, stirring it, if need be, so the rice on the bottom gets a chance to dry out on top.  Do this until most of the rice is quite dry.  Now take the rice out of the baking dish and into a bowl, and blend it using a hand mixer. It doesn't have to be for long, and it doesn't have to be completely smooth.  Then put the rice back into the baking dish, and spread out evenly, pushing down firmly as you go. Bake it in the oven until hard and crispy.  Wall-ah! the base!

Put the mustard seeds, chilli flakes and curry leaves (whatever other seeds and spice you want to use) into the oven until fragrant. Then put them in a mortar and pestle the shit out of em until they are nicely ground.  Add this to the finely chopped onion which is frying. When the onion is browned, put in the mushroom, eggplant, garlic and ginger so they can brown off nicely to.  Put in your pre-prepared legumes along with the rest of the vegetables.  After about 5mins chuck in about three quarters of the can of coconut milk.  Simmer on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If you are pushed for time, cook on a higher heat for a lot shorter period of time - just until the curry is thick.  I only cook it for an hour to properly let all the flavours infuse.  Or, you could also boil the rice earlier on so it is already to go.

 

Marilyn is lending a hand (she is on an oven mit...)

The topping is simple - while your daal is simmering, steam up the potatoes and sweet potatoes with some cumin and mustard seeds (which have been pestled).  When soft, add the rest of the coconut milk and mash with great delight!! To finish stir through some parsely and coriander.

 

Put the daal right over the top of the rice base,  followed swiftly by the mashed potatoes. Return to the oven for about ten minutes.  

It's surprising how well the base holds up.  I think the trick is to really get it as dry as possible before blending it...

As you can see from my pictures, I crumbled some feta over the top of the mashed potato - not really typically Indian, and obviously not vegan, but you can cheese choose (sorry - full of lameness tonight!) to put it over the top if you like. I think it tastes pretty damn good with the rest of the pie!

 

Enjoy! (with a nice, refreshing bevvie obviously)

There is a great, big, terrific storm here tonight and the dogs are going psycho every time thunder hits. Scared out of their wits, poor liddle things.  Stay safe everyone!