Keema Pie (Indian Style Minced Lamb)
This Keema pie is a very British pie based on a traditional Indian dish.
Pie is a regular favourite here as my husband is from Lancashire, and while it take some time to make, it’s easy to make extra for another day. I’ve been stuck in a rut recently though, cooking the same pies time and time again. This time I wanted to make a meat pie as we didn’t have red meat planned for the rest of the week, so to jazz things up a bit the filling is based on the Indian dish Keema – curried mince meat. It’s not too spicy – just gently curried.
I’ve used a nice thick suet crust pastry top to the pie as that’s so much quicker and easier than using shortcrust pastry to do a pastry case all the way round. I made two 2-3 person pies but if you prefer, you could use 8oz self raising flour and 4oz suet for the crust and do one big pie in a round casserole dish.
I use frozen lamb mince for convenience, but if you use fresh it works the same – just quicker. Remember if you have frozen fresh mince, it will need defrosting before use. I’m sure it would taste equally good with beef – though of course Hindus have a great respect for cows and so many Indians don’t eat beef.
- 400 g minced lamb
- 1 onion
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or according to your preference and the strength of your chilli powder
- 2 tsp each of cumin and coriander
- 1 tsp each of garlic granules and turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 3 handfuls of frozen peas
- 1 medium potato
- 10 oz self raising flour
- 5 oz suet - beef or vegetable
- Flour for dusting
- Milk for brushing
- Dice the onion. Place it in a pan with the mince and cook until the mince is browned and the onion soft.
- Stir the spices into the mince and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tinned tomatoes and frozen peas and simmer while you peel and dice the potato.
- Add the potato to the pan along with half a mug of boiling water. Cook, covered, until the potato is tender or you have made the pastry.
- To make the pastry stir the flour and suet together. Add cold water, a little at a time, until you can bring it together into a soft dough. If it sticks to your fingers add more flour. If it is crumbly add more water.
- Divide the pastry into two chunks and roll each out to roughly the size and shape of the dishes you're using, on a floured surface. It's better to get it a little too big and trim it, than to have it too small.
- Grease the sides of your dishes, and fill each with half your filling then lay the crust on top. Trim off any excess with your fingers.
- If you find there is a gap just stretch a piece you've trimmed off somewhere else into the gap, and use damp fingers to stick it to the surrounding pastry. Now brush with milk and pop them into the oven.
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