Nigerian Meat pie (deep dish version)

Meat pie is a popular Nigerian snack sold on street corners and even at fast food outlets. Meat pie is a savoury food because it doesn't have any added sugar. I don't like meat pie as a snack I think the crust engulfs the meat filling which I don't enjoy, eating short crust pastry is not my thing.


Recently I was looking through a cookbook that had lots of deep pie dishes made with short crust pastry. Immediately an idea struck me..... why don't I make our popular Nigerian snack into a deep dish pie.

I tied my apron string and went to work......... the outcome was phenomenal - oh yes it was now I can eat my pie and have it ( or not, dunno). I paired it with a side of salad and it made for a delicious dinner even my hubby enjoyed it and asked for seconds.

Try it at home you would see that it takes this simple snack and turns it into this beautiful meal!

Short Crust pastry

750g Flour

375g cold butter/margarine( I skipped salt because I was using margarine)

16 Tbsp cold water

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl add the margarine and mix by rubbing both ingredient together, it should resemble fine bread crumbs or garri when it mixes in well.
2. Create a well in the center of the flour add the water and combine. It should form a ball of dough refrigerate for about 30 minutes before you start to assemble the pie.

The rule to making a great crust is not to over mix you want the dough cold which will produce the crispest crust. So work quickly and only with your finger tips because your palms generates much heat and will warm the fat, so work with your finger tips.

Meat filling

500g minced beef

3 large carrots

4 large Irish potatoes

1 medium-sized onions

1 tsp dry pepper( optional)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup of water

1 tsp thyme

2 Cube seasoning

Salt

1. Cube the carrots and potatoes and boil until tender.
2. Slice the onions and fry in the oil until translucent about 5 mins.
3. Add the meat and fry until it turns brown.
4. Add the pepper,thyme, seasoning and salt to taste.
5. Add the boiled veggies and the water stir together.

Grease a deep pie dish set aside. Take the crust out of the fridge, divide into two parts, roll one half into a round shape and place in the dish. The secret to getting a crisp deep dish meat pie is to bake blind. This means to bake the lower crust empty for about 15 minutes before filling it up.

I lay parchment paper over the crust and pour beans unto the paper then bake it. The weight of beans holds the crust down so it doesn't puff up.

Once it is out of the oven fill up the dish, roll out the remaining dough and cover the top of the pie you can get creative here and style and design the top as you would like. My kids designed the top of the pie I used here. Glaze with an egg yolk before putting it into to the oven, bake for about minute, I bake for about 30 minutes then change my oven setting to broil for about 10 minutes to give it a lovely golden brown colour.

 

Serve and enjoy!

Curry Fried Rice with Sweet and Sour Beef

Home …………………….. Happiness

Kids ……………………… Joy

Life ……………………….. Good

Morning alarm ……………. Morning run

Eggs...............................…....Breakfast

Amala ……………………....Shitta

Diet …………………………Coke

Woman …………………….. Awesome

Beautiful ……………………You

Chinese.…….………….……Take out

Ok I wrote all that because I wanted to illustrate that anytime I hear Chinese I simultaneously think takeout. I love Chinese meals “I no go lie”.

It’s an easy meal to make, hardly taking much time to cook except the preparation stage which involves a lot of chopping.

I modified this recipe of fried rice to make it more Nigerian this is achieved by adding curry to the rice. Chinese don’t add curry to their rice.

Ingredients

For the Rice

2 Cups Rice

1 Tbsp Curry powder

1 large Onions, thinly sliced

3 cloves Garlic, sliced

250 g Shrimps

Mixed veggies (carrots, Peas, sweet corn, red and green peppers)

Sugar

Salt

Oil.

For the Sauce

500g beef

2 Tbsp chopped ginger

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chili flakes

2 Tbsp soy sauce

Seasoning

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp Corn starch

2 cups water

Salt

Oil

Chives for garnishing

1. Boil the rice as you would normally cook it add the curry powder to the rice. Once the rice is done allow it to cool down a bit you can transfer it into a colander to hasten the cooling process. 
2. In a frying pan heat 3 tbsp of oil sauté the onions and the garlic until translucent add the veggies and the shrimp cook until the shrimps turn pinkish white. You can add any cube seasoning of your choice.  Add the boiled rice, sprinkle the sugar on top the rice and keep stirring for about 3 minutes, seasoning with salt. Set the rice aside
   

Isi Ewu

1 Goat head
1 medium Red Onion
2 Bouillon cubes
1 tsp dry thyme

SAUCE
½ tsp Uziza Seed, grinded
½ tsp Ehuru seed, grinded
1 tbsp Uziza Leaves, Shredded
1 tsp Fresh Pepper, grinded (add according to preference)
1/8 cup Palm Oil
2 tbsp Onions, chopped
Salt (to taste)
1 tsp Potash
1 Bouillon cubes

Garnish
Utazi leaves
Red onions rings


Isi Ewu is a delicacy enjoyed across Nigeria but it originates from the Igbo speaking states. It is usually sold at local bars and is paired with a cold bottle of beer, men with pot belly are often teased that their pouch houses plates of Isi Ewu.

I enjoy this occasionally since it is a highly caloric dense food. People on a low carb diet would find this a great addition to their meal plan. The thick sauce that the meat is stirred into is sweet and sharply contrasts with the bitterness of the utazi leave. Though the utazi leave can be left out. The meal is garnished with thick slices of red onions to maximise the sweetness of the food.

I find it easier to boil the goat head whole then carve it rather than try to cut it before boiling trust me it is easier to boil it whole. In restaurant the ears, eyes and tongue are removed whole  and served separately while all the remaining parts are cut up into tiny bits. I prefer to cut up everything and serve so that I can’t differentiate any parts it more appealing.

The sauce is quite simple to make simply grind the potash into a fine powdery state and mix with ¼ cup of water stir and sieve , the liquid will be used for the sauce. Pour the palm oil in a hot pot add the potash water immediately do not allow the oil to heat up add the onions and cook for about two minutes. Add the first four ingredients for the sauce cook this for about three minutes. Season the food with salt according to taste add the bouillon seasoning and cook for an additional two minutes. After this add the goat meat and cook for a further five minutes which will enable the meat to soak up the goodness of the sauce.

It is traditionally served in a round wooden mortar garnish with a sprinkling of Utazi leaves and red onions rings. Enjoy!

1. Boil the goat head whole add salt and cook until tender.
2. Carve the head to separate all the meat from the bone set aside
3. Heat the pot then add the oil and potash dissolved in water do not allow to boil add the shredded onion and cook for 2 mins.
4. Add the first four ingredients listed for the sauce and cook for 3 mins
5. Add the salt and bouillon seasoning and cook for 2 mins
6. Add the meat to the sauce and cook further for 5 mins
7. Dish and garnish
8. Enjoy!