Nigerian Meat Pie
One of the most beautiful things about Nigerian food, especially the meat pie, is the contrast of flavors between meat and poultry. The meat is usually marinated overnight, then cooked slowly over a period of several hours, slowly turning as you go. In fact, people literally eat slowly as they cook. In this post, I am going to show you how to make a meat pie. If you have been wanting to try Nigerian food but never found a method that is feasible or that you can successfully replicate the flavors of a Nigerian meat pie, you’re in luck.
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Cold Butter cubed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 cup Cold water
For the Filling:
- 3/4 lb Ground beef
- 1 Potato small cubes
- ½ cup Onion chopped
- ¼ cup Carrot peeled and diced
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Fresh thyme leaves finely diced
- 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg for brushing
Instructions
- Combine 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Combine the dry ingredients with a whisk.
- Mix flour and butter cubes together until it has a crumbly texture. Beat two eggs with 1 cup of cold water.
- Mix the flour mixture with the egg-water whisk afterward, keep mixing until dough forms. Be careful not to overmix! Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes after wrapping it in cling film.
- To make the filling, heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Slice 1/2 cup of onions and sauté them for 5 minutes until they are transparent. After 5 minutes, add 1/4 cup of diced carrots and continue cooking until tender.
- After that, add the ground beef and cook until dark brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt as needed and sprinkle black pepper to taste.
- After that, add 2 tbsp of flour and 1 tsp of thyme. Stir well and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth or water and add the cubed potatoes.
- Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat until thickened and fragrant. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Shape the dough into the desired shape by dividing it into 4 pieces. Fill the center of that pie with two tablespoons of meat mixture.
- With a fork or finger, seal the edges of the dough by dabbing the edges with water.
- Put them on a baking sheet and brush them with a beaten egg. Put them in the oven for 30 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool before serving.