Luscious spiced cottage pie

By: Anjum Anand
From: Anjum's Indian Vegetarian Feast
Serves: 4
Photographer: Emma Lee

A vegetarian Indian take on the British classic pie. I cook Quorn mince quite often, as my daughter and I love it. Sometimes it’s eaten with Indian breads, other times with buttered bread, and here it is topped with creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes to make a substantial, delicious one-pot meal. You can also omit the Quorn and make the dish with some Puy lentils or a mixture of lentils and beans, if you prefer. Whichever way you make this, it is delicious and very satisfying. I normally serve greens on the side.

For the filling

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
3 tablespoons	vegetable oil
1	onion, finely chopped
3	black cardamom pods
2	bay leaves
20g	root ginger, 10 g of it sliced into fine julienne, (peeled weight)
3	garlic cloves, peeled
2	tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon	tomato puree, or to taste
2 teaspoons	ground coriander
1/4-1/2 teaspoon	chilli powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon	ground cumin
1 teaspoon	garam masala
	freshly ground black pepper, to taste
350g	quorn
2 small handfuls	frozen peas
	lemon juice, to taste
large handful	coriander leaves, chopped

For the topping

Quantity	Ingredient
600g	floury potatoes, peeled and cut in large pieces
60g	unsalted butter, plus more to cook (optional)
65-80ml	whole milk
50-60g	mature cheddar cheese

Method

Heat the vegetable oil and add the onion, cardamom pods and bay leaves. Cook until the onion is starting to colour at the edges. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Using a stick blender, blend the chunk of ginger and the garlic with a little water until smooth. Separately blend the tomatoes until smooth. Add the ginger and garlic paste to the onion and cook gently. Once the garlic has started to colour, add the tomatoes, tomato purée and the remaining spices and seasoning. Cook over a medium-high flame, stirring occasionally, until the masala has thickened, looks like a tomato paste and releases oil back into the pan. Taste, it should be harmonious with no sharp notes. Add the mince and stir-fry for three to four minutes. Now pour in 400 ml of water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the peas after three minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, making sure you have added a good pinch of black pepper, and add lemon juice if it needs it. Stir in the chopped coriander and turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until just tender to the point of a knife. Drain well and allow them to dry off in the pan for a minute. Using a potato ricer or masher, mash well, add the butter, milk and cheese and mash and stir until amalgamated; I like mine a little lumpy. Season to taste, adding lots of black pepper.
Spoon the mince evenly into an ovenproof, table-ready dish. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover, decorate as you like (not at all, or with the tines of a fork). If you would like a golden finish, dot the surface all over with small cubes of butter. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.