Ingredients
Marinade
- 5 tablespoons Balti Paste
Pie Filling / Sauce
- 8 Chicken Thighs (On the Bone)
- 2 Shallots (Finely Diced)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
- 2 Red Chillies (Finely Chopped)
- 3 tablespoons Hot Curry Powder
- 2.4oz-70g unsalted butter
- 2 Chicken Stock Pots
- 3 tablespoons Plain Flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 23.6 fl oz--700ml boiling water
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Coriander
- 1 tablespoon Pataks Balti Curry Paste
Pastry
- 17.6oz -500g plain flour (sifted)
- 8.8oz-250g lard (cold & cubed)
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 10 tablespoons cold water
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg yolk whisked with a little egg white (pastry egg wash)
Method
- First Marinade the chicken thighs, slather the curry paste all over, wrap in tinfoil, and pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is better)
- Pre-heat oven to 392˚f/200˚c regular oven or 356˚f /180˚c fan assisted oven. Place the chicken without tinfoil into a roasting tray and roast for 30mins. Insert knife and check the juices run clear. Turn oven off and set to one side to cool
- Remove all the meat from the bones (discard the skin) off the chicken and leave on a plate to cool further. Remember to reserve the meat juices produced from cooking.
- Next, prepare the pastry. Place the flour, lard, salt, pepper and curry powder in a large mixing bowl and rub together with fingertips so it looks like a fine crumble. Take your time to do this properly. Add the water and combine it well. Knead lightly. Form into a smooth ball and wrap in clingfilm. Pop into the fridge for 1 hour minimum. When ready to use, cut ball into a 60/40 ratio.
- To make the sauce for the filling in a large saucepan fry the shallots and garlic in butter until soft over a medium/low heat for 5 mins. Add the chillies, flour, garam masala, curry powder, curry paste, ginger and ground cumin and mix quickly into a paste.
- And the reserved meat juices, chicken stock posts and boiling water and stir. Bring to a boil and then set on a low setting for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken meat and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hour. Frequently check on it and stir it. After 1 hour, season it and cook further if it needs to reduce a little more.
- Grease a 12 hole muffin pan and pre-heat oven with an over tray inside to 392˚f/200˚c regular oven or 356˚f /180˚c fan assisted oven
- Lightly flour the surface and roll the larger amount out and cut our large circles (An upside down pint glass can make a useful cutter) and roll out each individual circle til it's a bit larger and thinner. Case the pushpan holes with it. Leaving enough pastry around the top to help seal the pasty lids later.
- Fill the pasty cases with the chicken mixture.
- Repeat the pastry process with the remaining process but cut with a slightly smaller cutter (a normal sized glass can help if no cutters to hand) and pinch the lids together with the case tops to fully seal the pie.
- Use a sharp knife to score each pie with three little lines.
- Whisk the egg yolk (and a little white). Brush the top of each pie with the mixture.
- Pop in the oven for 20 mins. Remove pies from the tin and place onto a baking tray to bake for another 10 mins to let the sides brown.
- Can be eaten hot or cold
- If any leftover mix - freeze it and enjoy another time with a baked potato, chips or rice.
