Potato-Top Curry Pie
1 sheet vegan puff pastry
1/4 cup brown or green lentils
1/4 cup brown rice
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/8-1/4 cup nondairy milk
1-2 tablespoons margarine
1 onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons Indian curry paste
1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili paste, optional
2 small zucchini, carrots or other veggies, diced
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Cut the pastry into the shape of your pie dish and gently press it in. Line with baking paper and fill with some dry beans or rice. Bake for 12-15 minutes, remove the paper and weights, then bake another 1-2 minutes. (If the base puffs up too much, just press it back down.)
2. Cook the lentils and rice together according to package directions, then salt to taste and drain. Boil potatoes in plenty of salted water, then drain and mash until smooth with margarine and milk.
3. Fry onion until golden and soft. Stir in the curry paste and warm until fragrant, then pour in the tomatoes. Add chili paste, if desired. Reduce heat. Simmer zucchini in the sauce until tender.
4. Stir together the lentils, rice and sauce. Fill pie to within a centimeter of the rim. Top with mashed potatoes and bake until reheated and golden-brown. Allow to cool, slice and serve.
Use any extra mash or filling for lunch the next day. Yum.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
When I saw this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it, but didn't have any puff pastry on hand. So instead I made a Bisquick type of pourable crust after I had cooked the veggies in the pan. I mixed 1/2 cup Bisquick, Egg Replacer for 1 egg, and 1 cup almond milk together. I sprayed the pie pan with non-stick spray, put the veggies in the pan and then poured the mix over top and baked for about 30 minutes at 350. When it browned, I then put the mashed potatoes over top and put it under the broiler. It only had to sit for about 5 minutes to slice cleanly to serve, but no one wanted to wait so it was scooped out at the beginning. I added some leftover frozen corn I had in the freezer, but other than that and the puff pastry substitution, I followed the recipe exactly. It was easy to make and tasted really good. So glad that I used the hot Indian curry paste -- yum! Served it with mixed pickle and mango pickle -- super yum!!! ;)b
This was very much like a shepherd's pie. I wasn't blown away by the flavor. I added some cheeze which helped it out. It's still missing something though. I would make it again but I would experiment with giving it some more zing.
I'm honestly surprised that nobody has reviewed this recipe before! With that being said, this is incredibly tasty and comforting!
I didn't have any curry paste so I used curry powder. I also added in 1/2 green peas along with the zucchini. I wasn't sure what it would be like having rice in a pie. but it blends it so well that you don't really recognise it - maybe using medium grain brown rice had something to do with it?
Anyhow, I'm making this for the second time tonight for dinner and honestly cannot wait for it to be cooked :D I really hope more people try this ;)b