Aussie Curry Pie
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Curry paste
- 150 g onion, roughly chopped rounded
- 3 garlic cloves rounded
- 20 g fresh ginger, peeled rounded
- 25 g curry powder rounded
- 30 ml neutral oil rounded
Filling
- 600 g beef mince rounded
- 25 g flour rounded
- 400 ml beef stock rounded
- 150 g frozen peas rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Pastry
- 640 g puff pastry, ready-rolled, store-bought rounded
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash rounded
Method
Method
- Blitz the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor to a smooth paste.
- 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.
- Add the mince and cook, breaking it up well, until no longer pink. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- 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.
- Spread the filling on a tray and let it cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 30 minutes, until fully cold.
- 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.
- Line 4 individual pie tins with the base circles. Divide the cold filling among them.
- Top with the lid circles, pressing the edges to seal. Brush with beaten egg and cut a small steam vent in each.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and deeply golden brown all over.
Method in the Thermomix
- Place the onion, garlic and ginger in the mixing bowl. Chop 5 sec/speed 7, until a smooth paste.
- Add the oil and curry powder. Sauté 4 min/100°C/speed 1, until fragrant.
- 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.