Bobotie pork pot pies

Buttery pastry is filled with tender pork mince spiced with sweet and aromatic Malay-style curry spice.

Cut: Pork Mince

Portions: 6
45 Minutes

Ingredients

2 slices of white bread, crusts removed
½ C (125 ml) milk
olive oil for frying
1 kg pork mince
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
3 Tbsp (45 ml) mild curry powder
1 Tbsp (15 ml) cumin powder
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coriander powder
1 tsp (5 ml) turmeric powder
1 tsp (5 ml) chilli flakes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) chopped ginger
½ C (125 ml) white vinegar
2 green apples, peeled and grated
½ C (125 ml) hot chutney
½ C (125 ml) raisins
2 Tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
a squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Pastry

450 g cake flour
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
⅘ C (200 ml) water
180 g butter
6 x 9×5 cm mini loose-bottomed pie tins
1 egg, whisked for egg washing the pastry

Apricot Rice

1 C (250 ml) of long-grain white rice, cooked according to the packaging
6 dried Turkish apricots, cut into small blocks
½ tsp (2,5 ml) turmeric powder
2 Tbsp (30 ml) flaked almonds

Method

Bobotie Mince Filling

Add the milk and bread to a mixing bowl to soak.

Add a splash of oil to a large pot and set it over medium-high heat. Add the pork mince to the pot and fry until it is evenly browned. Remove the mince from the pot and set it aside.

Add the onions, cloves and bay leaves to the pot and fry for 5-8 minutes until softened and starting to colour. Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli flakes, garlic and ginger to the pot and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the vinegar to deglaze and then add the mince back to the pot, along with the grated apple, chutney, raisins, soy sauce and lemon juice.

Drain any excess milk from the bread bowl and add the soaked bread to the pot. Mix well to combine and cook for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to come together. Season to taste, then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Pastry

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC while you prepare the pastry.

Start by mixing the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Meanwhile, bring the water and butter to a boil in a small saucepan.

Make a well in the flour and then add the hot butter and water mixture into the middle. Mix with a spatula until it starts to come together into a ball. Let it cool for a few minutes as you prepare to roll it out.

Pie Assembly

Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll the pastry out to R5 coin thickness.

Use one of the pie tins as a guide to cut out 6 lids for the pies. Then bring the dough back together, reroll and use a side plate to cut 6 circles for the pie casing. Lower the casings into the tins and work the pastry around the edges and up, leaving a lip just above the rim of the tin.

Fill each pie with bobotie mince but do not go above the lip. Egg wash the lips then place the lids on top of each pie. Use your fingers to pinch the pastry closed, then use a sharp knife to cut a slit into the top of each pie. Egg wash the tops of the pies, then place onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the pastry is golden. Allow cooling slightly then pop the pies out of the tins.