Recipe of the day: Home-baked curried mushroom hand pies

Hand pies with a taste of Indian curry powder.

Made with potatoes, cashews and button mushrooms.

Ingredients  

Crust:

• 350g flour
• 8g salt
• 150g butter
• 2 large free-range eggs

Filling:

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 30g raw cashew nuts
• 1 large ripe tomato, stem removed and cross-cut at the base
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and quartered
• 250ml boiling water
• 1 tsp curry powder, pick your strength
• 250g button mushrooms, quartered
• 80g fresh or frozen peas (about 1/2 a cup)
• 1 large handful coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
• Cumin seeds, for sprinkling the pies
• Chutney, for serving

Instructions 

• For the crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Mix the butter into the flour using your fingertips to create a wet, sand-like texture. Add the eggs and mix with a fork until the dough comes together. Gradually add water, a spoonful at a time, just until the mixture holds together. Don’t overwork the dough. Shape into a large disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or make it in advance the night before.
• For the filling: Place potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain and roughly mash. Set aside. Place cashew nuts, tomato, and onion in a jug. Pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 30 minutes. Drain off the water, peel the tomato and place everything in a blender. Blend until completely smooth. If your tomato was not juicy enough, you can add a little water to the blender to help things along. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the cumin seeds and curry powder and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Pour in the cashew nut puree and simmer. Add the peas, coriander, and mashed potato. Mix until everything is well combined. Taste to adjust seasoning. Remove filling from the heat and scrape into a bowl. Cool completely.
• To assemble the pies: On a well-floured work surface, roll out the dough to about ± 3mm – 4mm thick. Using a ± 13cm bowl placed upside down, cut out circles of pastry. Add a few spoonfuls of cold filling into the circle of pastry and wet one side of the edge with water. Seal up into a half-moon shape, squeezing out any air pockets as you go. Place half-moon pies onto a tray lined with baking paper. Press down on the edges with the prongs of a fork to join the two layers of pastry properly and create a pretty-looking edge. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.
• Preheat oven to 200˚C. Remove the pies from the fridge and slice two little cuts into each pie for steam to escape. Egg wash all over and sprinkle with cumin seeds. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and the pastry is cooked through. Serve with a dollop of your favourite chutney and enjoy!

Curried mushroom hand pies

Hand pies with a taste of Indian curry powder. Made with potatoes, cashews and button mushrooms.

• Author: Thami Kwazi
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 45 minutes mins
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Cuisine: English, Greek, Indian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Crust:

• 350g flour
• 8g salt
• 150g butter
• 2 large free-range eggs

Filling:

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 30 g raw cashew nuts
• 1 large ripe tomato, stem removed & cross-cut into the base
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and quartered
• 250ml boiling water
• 1 tsp curry powder, pick your strength
• 250g button mushrooms, quartered
• 80g fresh or frozen peas (about 1/2 a cup)
• 1 large handful coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
• Cumin seeds, for sprinkling the pies
• Chutney, for serving

Instructions

 

• For the crust:

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  In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.

   

  Mix the butter into the flour using your fingertips to create a wet, sand-like texture.

   

  Add the eggs and mix with a fork until the dough is just coming together.

   

  Gradually add water, a spoonful at a time, just until the mixture holds together.

   

  Don’t overwork the dough.

   

  Shape into a large disc and cover in plastic wrap.

   

  Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or make in advance the night before.

• For the filling:

   

  Place potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil.

   

  Simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain and roughly mash. Set aside.

   

  Place cashew nuts, tomato and onion in a jug.

   

  Pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 30 minutes.

   

  Drain off the water, peel the tomato and place everything in a blender.

   

  Blend until completely smooth.

   

  If your tomato was not juicy enough, you can add a little water to the blender to help things along.

   

  Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan.

   

  Add the cumin seeds and curry powder and cook for a minute until fragrant.

   

  Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown.

   

  Pour in the cashew nut puree and simmer.

   

  Add the peas, coriander and mashed potato. Mix until everything is well combined.

   

  Taste to adjust seasoning.

   

  Remove filling from the heat and scrape into a bowl. Cool completely.

• To assemble the pies:

   

  On a well-floured work surface, roll out the dough to about ± 3mm – 4mm thick.

   

  Using a ± 13cm bowl placed upside down, cut out circles of pastry.

   

  Add a few spoonfuls of cold filling into the circle of pastry and wet one side of the edge with water. Seal up into a half-moon shape, squeezing out any air pockets as you go.

   

  Place half-moon pies onto a tray lined with baking paper.

   

  Press down on the edges with the prongs of a fork to join the two layers of pastry properly and create a pretty-looking edge.

   

  Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.

• Preheat oven to 200˚C.

   

  Remove the pies from the fridge and slice two little cuts into each pie for steam to escape.

   

  Egg wash all over and sprinkle with cumin seeds.

   

  Bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.

   

  Serve with a dollop of your favourite chutney and enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 12 hand pies