Description
Crispy hand‑pies filled with savory meat, deep‑fried or baked until golden and crunchy
Ingredients
- 2 cups all‑purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup cold butter (or margarine), diced
- ½ cup ice water (plus more if needed)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 300 g ground beef (or your choice of meat)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, diced (optional)
- 1 small potato, diced (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp curry powder (or substitute with preferred spice mix)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Oil, for frying (or for brushing if baking)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the cold diced butter and “cut” into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Gradually add ice water, mixing until dough just comes together. Do not overwork. Wrap and chill for 20‑30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet, sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic, then ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess fat.
- If using carrot/potato, add them, season with curry powder, salt, pepper, and a splash of water. Cook until vegetables are tender. Let the filling cool.
- Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thick. Cut into circles or rectangles (e.g. 10 cm diameter).
- Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each dough piece. Brush edges with water, fold over, and seal by pressing with a fork.
- Brush tops with beaten egg (egg wash).
- To fry: heat oil in a pan to ~175–180 °C and fry pies until golden on both sides, drain on paper towels. Or to bake: preheat oven to 200 °C and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden crisp.
- Let rest a few minutes before serving so filling firms slightly.
Notes
- Keep the butter and water cold to help achieve a flaky, crispy crust.
- You can freeze pies (uncooked) and fry or bake later.
- If the filling is too watery, cook it down further before filling to avoid soggy crust.
- Use a meat of choice (beef, lamb, or mixture) depending on preference.
- For a lighter version, bake instead of frying.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pie
- Calories: approx. 300‑350 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
