Curry pie. Pie… and curry!?!

A pie packed full of flavours and looks knockout when served

SERVES: 6
PREP TIME: 30 mins
COOKING TIME: 1 hr 30 mins – includes time to cool mix before making the pie
DIFFICULTY: medium
IDEAL FOR: family meals; casual meals with friends
BUDGET: ££

Trust me. This pie + curry combo is a winner.

It rained. It rained hard this weekend.

What are you meant to do when you’re stuck inside… cook, eat, laugh.

And experiment and try new things in the kitchen. So that’s just what we did.

We had some lovely free range chicken breasts in the fridge and my recently discovered curry pie recipe at the ready…

(*Shout out to @jenbedloe who published this recipe in the latest Delicious Magazine and for bringing this recipe into our lives)

But first, the ingredients

All that was needed were a few more bits and pieces for the (long) list of ingredients… but don’t be afraid, the list is not as daunting as it first seems.

You’ll probably have most of the spices tucked away in your cupboard so for me it was little things like lime pickle for the glaze, that I was missing.

And I’m telling you, if there is one short cut or adaptation you don’t want to take, it’s this one.

This glaze really elevates the recipe.

Off we go…

So, with my list written out, Bella and I made for the local market and our local spice shop post-haste.

Like most pies, the pastry plays a vital role in you looking like an absolute master of the kitchen…

or

…from time to time, and in my case, a five year old that’s had a huge melt down (aka a ‘tanty)’ in the kitchen; flour everywhere, dough stuck to my fingers, the table, my face… it ain’t pretty.

So, this is why I’d advise you check out my post on pastry which has some good tips from Grandma Gunstone on keeping your cool and making sure it all goes to plan.

Another approach that works is to get your husband or partner to do the pastry!

And on this day, that’s exactly what I did; I implemented the Team Cook Approach to this recipe.

3 reasons why it works…

1. You avoid a ‘tanty’ = everyone wins
2. If it all goes wrong… you have a ‘fall guy’
3. And… it’s actually fun doing this together (Tim was on pastry, me on curry and glaze and Toby was designated to sort kitchen tunes and table set up.

Cook, eat, laugh. Curry-Pie-tastic.

As you read the recipe below, you’ll understand how this can be broken up into a team effort and why you are advised to do it.

Although not necessary, if you’re kitchen is anything like mine, it’s the hub of the house (and sometimes the village, especially if ‘Nick the Chef’ is ‘in-the-house’).

Which means, having all hands on deck is not only helpful to feed hungry mouths but also a lot of fun.

So, I highly recommend this curry pie recipe for it’s heartwarming flavours, it’s all inclusive cooking and simply how stunning it looks when you pull it out of the oven… watch out Bake Off!

And let’s not forget the glaze… it’s the pièce de résistance!

Final words from teenage Toby…

I was given one tip from Toby after he demolished his curry pie and asked if he could have any leftovers for breakfast (of course he can!!)…

Next time…

Double the recipe.

Enjoy.

If you have a pie recipe that you’d like to share, please drop me a line or leave a comment and I’d love to give it a go…

Print Pin

Chicken Curry Pie

Course Main Course

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 6 people

Cost £

Equipment

• Pie dish approximately 1.5l

Ingredients

Curry filling

• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 4 garlic cloves crushed or thinly sliced
• 3 – 4 chopped whole dried chillies if you don't like heat, add less
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 6 tbsp full-fat natural yogurt keep some for serving
• 3 – 4 sprigs of coriander stalks keep some leaves for garnishing
• 12 dried curry leaves
• 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water this is to help thicken the curry sauce
• 4 free-range (skinless) chicken breasts cut into chunks
• 3 red/yellow/green peppers cut into rough pieces it doesn't matter if you can only find one type of coloured pepper
• 2 red onions cut into rough pieces
• 1 tbsp garam masala

Pastry

• 230 g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of grind pepper
• 65 g salted butter IMPT: chilled and cubed
• 50 g lard IMPT: chilled and cubed
• 4 tsp soured cream
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 4 tsp cold water
• 1 free-range egg, beaten for glazing

Pickle glaze

• 3 tbsp lime pickle you can buy a jar from most supermarkets
• 2 tbsp demerara suagr
• 1 – 2 tbsp hot water to help dissolve the sugar

Instructions

Curry Mix

• In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and then add the garlic, cumin, turmeric and dried chillies. Let these cook off until you smell the spices (should be approx 3 mins).

  Next add in the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, chicken stock and yogurt. Stir altogether and bring to the boil.
• Once it hits boiling, turn the heat down to simmer and add in the coriander stalks and curry leaves and pour in your cornflour mix.

  Stir in and let it simmer for another 15 mins.
• Now add in the chicken and let it all cook for another 5 mins or so. You want the sauce to be a little thicker (now you've added the cornflour mix and it's all simmered), probably around the same consistency as a nice gravy (not thick like your Grandma's though!)
• Turn the heat right down so you can now grill your peppers and onions.

  Best way to do this is by mixing the peppers and onion in a bowl with some oil first, then spreading out foil on a tray and out under the grill.

  You want the peppers and onions to get juicy and a little charred… should only take a 5 minutes or so.
• Back to the curry pan. Add in the grilled peppers and onions and stir in the garam masala.

  Have a taste and season as required.
• Set aside to cool. It's important to cool completely so it doesn't ruin the pastry when you build your pie. (After it cooled a bit, I stuck in the fridge for an hour).

Pastry

• Now, in a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and a few grinds of pepper then add in the chilled cubes of lard and butter.

  Make sure your hands aren't hot (stick under the cold tap for a minute) and use your fingers tips to make a breadcrumb texture.
• In another bowl, mix the vinegar, water and soured cream.
• Now, make a well in the middle of the flour mix and pour in the mixture into it.

  Use (floured, cold) hands to mix and make a rough dough.

  Once done, sprinkle flour onto your work surface and knead a few times to make a ball shape.

  Chill in the fridge for approx 30 minutes.
• While the dough is chilling, turn the oven on to 200°C/gas 6/390°F
• Take the chilled dough cut into 2 and roll the first on a floured surface till its wider than the pie dish and approx 5mm thickness.

  Butter the dish so the pastry does not stick Now, gently line the pie dish with the pastry (some people don't bother with this and just do the top but we had enough pastry and it makes it a proper pie 😉

  Brush the rim of the pastry with beaten egg.

  Add in the curry filling,

  With the other half of the dough roll out the lid and place it gently on top and press down /crimp the edges so it seals the pie

  Brush the beaten egg all over and chill for another 10 mins.

Lime Pickle Glaze

• Push the lime pickle through the sieve (push the bigger pieces to the side) into a bowl… it seems a little pointless but you do get enough come through and it's plenty to give a kick.

  Add the sugar and 2 tbsp hot water and mix.

The Bake

• Now, bake the pie for 45 mins.

  After the first 15 minutes in the oven brush the lime pickle glaze all over.

  Repeat a few more times to ensure the flavour and colour build up.

  Once baked, take out, rest for a few minutes, garnish with some chillies and coriander.

  Serve with some yogurt and watch the smiles grow on your family!

Notes

This recipe was inspired by Jen Bedloe’s Curry Pie in Delicious Magazine

Reference:

Delicious Magazine

Jen Bedloe

LINKIES
I am linking this up to Cook Blog Share.