Christoph and Steffi's Food and Travel & Christoph and Steffi's Food and Travel
A curry-spiced Australian meat pie cut open showing mince and peas in a curry gravy, with steam rising
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Main Australian beefbakingcomfort-foodspicy

Aussie Curry Pie

The curried cousin of the classic Australian meat pie, the onion, garlic and ginger blitzed to a smooth paste and fried hard in the spices before the mince goes in, rather than left as chopped pieces, since a paste coats every strand of mince in curry flavour where chopped aromatics leave pockets of plain meat between them. Puff pastry top and bottom keeps the pie lighter than the shortcrust-based original, which suits the spiced filling.

Prep40 min
Cook40 min
Rest60 min
Servings4
Cook mode

Christoph's Aussie curry pie, the aromatics blitzed to a paste and fried hard so every strand of mince picks up the curry flavour.

Ingredients

Written for a 12 cm round tin

Units
Temperature
Servings
4

Curry paste

  • 150 g onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 20 g fresh ginger, peeled
  • 25 g curry powder
  • 30 ml neutral oil

Filling

  • 600 g beef mince
  • 25 g flour
  • 400 ml beef stock
  • 150 g frozen peas
  • to taste fine salt

Pastry

  • 640 g puff pastry, ready-rolled, store-bought
  • 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Method

  1. Blitz the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor to a smooth paste.
  2. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Fry the paste with the curry powder for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and starting to catch slightly at the edges of the pan.
  3. Add the mince and cook, breaking it up well, until no longer pink. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add the stock. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to hold a trail on the back of a spoon. Stir in the peas and season with salt.
  5. Spread the filling on a tray and let it cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 30 minutes, until fully cold.
  6. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan). Roll the puff pastry to about 3 mm thick and cut 4 base circles and 4 lid circles, the bases slightly larger.
  7. Line 4 individual pie tins with the base circles. Divide the cold filling among them.
  8. Top with the lid circles, pressing the edges to seal. Brush with beaten egg and cut a small steam vent in each.
  9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and deeply golden brown all over.

Method in the Thermomix

  1. Place the onion, garlic and ginger in the mixing bowl. Chop 5 sec/speed 7, until a smooth paste.
  2. Add the oil and curry powder. Sauté 4 min/100°C/speed 1, until fragrant.
  3. Continue with the filling on the stove as in the hand method, from step 3.

Notes

  • Blitz the aromatics to a paste rather than chopping them. A paste coats every strand of mince in curry flavour as it fries; chopped onion, garlic and ginger leave pockets of plain meat between the pieces.
  • Fry the paste hard before the mince goes in. Raw curry powder tastes dusty and bitter; a proper fry in oil blooms the spices into something rounder and more fragrant.
  • Cool the filling completely before filling the pies, same as the classic meat pie, so the base doesn’t turn soggy.
  • They freeze well unbaked, same as the other Aussie pies here.

Ingredient substitutions

  • A mild curry powder keeps it family-friendly; a hot madras-style blend suits those who want real heat.
  • Diced carrot, added with the mince, is a common addition alongside the peas.
  • Beef mince can be swapped for lamb or chicken mince.

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