Saag aloo shepherd's pie

• 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• a small thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 x 400g tin pinto or borlotti beans
• 1x 400g tin tomatoes
• 1 kg small new or red-skin potatoes, large ones cut in half
• 500g cauliflower, broken into small florets, stalk roughly chopped
• 50g ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 200g baby spinach, washed

Instructions

1. 1

   Add a little oil to a large pan, add the onion and cook for 10 minutes over a medium heat until soft and sweet.

2. 2

   Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the spices to the pan and stir for a couple of minutes until all smells fragrant.

4. 4

   Next, add the tinned beans and their liquid, the tomatoes and 400ml (a tin's worth) water.

5. 5

   Simmer for 25 minutes until the tomatoes are broken down and you have a thick, flavoursome gravy.

6. 6

   Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and put the potatoes into a large pan (leaving enough space to add the cauliflower later).

7. 7

   Cover with boiling water, add half a tablespoon of salt and bring to the boil.

8. 8

   Cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are almost cooked then add the cauliflower for the last 6 minutes.

9. 9

   Drain well.

10. 10

    Put the empty pan back on the heat, add 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter and the cumin and turmeric, cook for a minute or so then add 100ml water, the potatoes and cauliflower and half the spinach.

11. 11

    Stir to wilt the spinach and use the back of a spoon to crush the potatoes a little.

12. 12

    The beans should be thickened by now.

13. 13

    Stir in the other half of the spinach then spoon into your baking dish.

14. 14

    Top with the potato, cauliflower and spinach mixture, drizzle with oil or melted ghee and pur into the oven for 30-40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the top is brown and crunchy in places.