I got this idea from a few different sources and it has been bopping around in my head for a few months, begging to be experimented with.  If you are wanting a traditional Shepherd’s Pie, this probably won’t quell your craving, but if you love Thai food and lots of veggies, this might just be a welcome variation.  Tell me what you think!

“Under the Hood”

In Chinese medicine, sweet potatoes are great for nourishing deficient patterns–especially qi deficiency and yin deficiency.  A deficient pattern might arise from overwork, illness, or emotional stress and signs of deficiency could be extreme fatigue, listlessness, a pale face, shortness of breath, and dizziness.  According to the classic book on Chinese dietary therapy, Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford, in deficiency one should eat many nourishing foods with a sweet taste.  In Chinese medicine a “sweet” taste does not indicate sugar or even necessarily fresh fruit.  Foods with a sweet taste are generally whole grains and vegetables (complex carbohydrates in western nutrition).  Animal foods in small amounts as well as seeds are also useful.  I hope to go into more detail about nourishing a deficient pattern and building qi soon on the blog.  This dish, with its turkey, veggies and sweet potato would be great for recovering from a deficiency.

“Finished Product”

Thai Inspired Shepherds Pie

Ingredients-

2 large sweet potatoes/yams

½ cup light coconut milk

large piece of ginger (equivalent to about ¼ of a cup), cut into slivers

½ pound ground white meat turkey or chicken

1 yellow onion, chopped into large pieces

6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 ½ cups broccoli florets

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 cup green peas, frozen

1 can bamboo shoots

1 tightly packed cup of fresh basil leaves

2 tbl Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

1 tbl Thai Kitchen red or green curry sauce

1 tbl olive oil

1 tbl tamari

Dried coconut flakes, toasted, to garnish (optional)

Instructions-

1.) Cut sweet potatoes into slices.  Place in a steamer basket and steam until cooked through.  Then scoop out flesh and combine with coconut milk, mix in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2.) Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onions and saute for several minutes, add turkey breast and brown.   Then add vegetables and seasonings in this order, stirring each for about a minute: garlic, ginger, carrot, broccoli, bamboo shoots.  Add curry, sweet chili sauce, and tamari.  Cover and let cook for a couple of minutes, making sure not to overcook broccoli (it will cook more in the oven, so this is important).  Stir in peas and once cooked through (about a minute or two), remove from heat and add fresh basil leaves to the pot.

3.) Place veggie and turkey mixture into a casserole dish.  Spoon sweet potato mixture on top.  Place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until bubbling.  You can also set the oven to broil the last few minutes to further brown the top.

4.) Remove and garnish with toasted coconut, if desired.  Let cool for several minutes and serve hot!