Japanese Curry Pies & Cocktail pastries- homestyle fusion cooking

Japanese curry pies are the perfect fusion of east and west, which will appeal to both pie lovers, and die hard Japanese homestyle food purists alike.

These can be designed as either pot pies designed to be served in their ramekin or mini casserole dish, traditional closed pie, or as mini finger food pastries suitable for cocktail functions and business meetings.

Each permutation of the recipe’s presentation sports uniquely different pastry to filling ratio, and the mix matches all styles.

Tender meat, and sweet, colourful vegetables spilling out of a golden and crisp pastry shell make this dish not just delicious, but also immensely aesthetically pleasing.

Ingredients:

• 2 Large potatoes (1-2cm cubes)
• 2 Large carrots (1-2cme cubes)
• 2 Large Onions (coarsely diced)
• 100 grams shelled peas
• 250 grams rump steak (finely chopped, or chunky, your choice)
• 1 “Golden Curry” Japanese Curry mix sauce block. (you can get it at Coles or Woolies)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4 Sheets Puff Pastry
• 1 Egg
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Bran Oil
• 600ml water (2 cups)
• 2 Tablespoons flour if necessary.
• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius.

Method:

PART ONE: The Filling

Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan, and add onions, stir till translucent.

Introduce meat, and stir till mostly cooked, then tip on carrots and potatoes.

• Meat can be cut fine, or nice and chunky- depends on what you want.

Stir till vegetables are steaming and sweating, with liquid beginning to visibly form in the bottom of the pot.

Coarsely break entire brick of golden curry mix into pieces, and stir into mix.

Add 600ml water.

Turn down heat to medium/low, and put on lid, but stir regularly.

Once curry blocks have fully dissolved, take lid off, and simmer gently and stir regularly to prevent burning till consistency of sauce is reasonably thick, and no longer watery- it must stick significantly to the wooden stirring spoon, but not be stiff.

Aim for a gravy like texture in the free sauce within the pot.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and ensure to simmer till the meat is very soft and tender- this normally takes at least 20-30 minutes from the point of the sauce becoming appropriately thick.

PART II – Making the pies or fingerfood pastries.

For “Pot Pies”

Obtain small ramekins or mini cassarole dishes, of approx 8cm diameter.

Take 30x30cm puff pastry sheets, and slice into four even squares with a butter knife.

Place pastry squares into ramekins, and fill with the curry mix from the pot. Fold corners over the top.

Dont worry about exposed filling at the top- often there wont be enough pastry.

You can either shut the pie entirely with another square, or circle of pastry, or just leave it.

For Finger pastries:

The Curry mix needs to be thicker and stiffer for this to work easily- its recommended to stir extra flour into the mix- any runnyness will cause you grief.

Take 30x30cm puff pastry sheets, and slice into four even squares with a butter knife.

Take these squares, and slice diagonally, to make triangles.

Place a heaped tablespoon of  Japanese curry mix in the middle.

Fold pastry over and seal with fingers. Use egg, water and milk to help with the seal.

Experiment a bit with the designs by using different pastry shapes and folding techniques, for example:

• Rolls
  • Long, rectangular 1/3 or 1/4 size pastry sheets.
• Square stars
  • Use 1/4 sheet size, square  pastry like for the pot pies for this
• Cornish Pastie shape
  • Use 1/8th pastry sheet triangles
• Triangles
  • 1/8th pastry sheet triangles
• Mini triangles
  • 1/16th pastry sheet triangles
• Folded over triangles
  • Use Large triangles of pastry (half a sheet), and a small amount of filling.
    • Fold over the excess “empty” tails of the triangles onto the main filled body for a decorative effect.

Baste, or glaze the top of the pastry with egg and milk once finished.

Bake on a well greased, or non stick, flat oven tray until golden brown- at 190 degrees Celsius

You’ll smell it when they are ready right across the house.

Remove from the trays immediately, and serve, or cool on racks and store/freeze (assuming they last that long)

These curry pies are delicious both hot, or cold, and don’t really need a dipping sauce  as they are flavoursome enough on their own. (Comment if you find one that works well though!)

A leafy green garden salad, with pickles and cashews, and a honey mustard dressing is an excellent complement.

Alternatively, while you are making the pies, oven baking roasted pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot and crispy, garlic spiced potatoes work well for a winter warmer.

Hope you enjoy!