The Best Nigerian Meat Pie Recipe

 

Many countries have their own way of making meat pie. It is common in South America, Australia, and Europe. The Nigerian meat pie is a flaky envelope of buttery goodness and is a common pastry in the country. It has a unique blend of spices that combines with minced meat to yield a tasty pastry. Making the Nigerian meat pie is really simple and the recipe is given below:

Ingredients

Dough Mixture

• 400g of flour
• 200g of cold unsalted butter
• 40ml of condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 eggs
• 50ml of cold water

Meat Filling

• 300g of minced meat
• 20ml of vegetable oil
• 1 medium size potato
• 1 medium size carrot
• 1 small size red onion
• 1 small habanero pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon of curry
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• 1 pair of stock cubes
• 10ml of flour or starch slurry

Baking Tools

• 1 rolling pin
• 1 dough cutter
• 1 meat pie mould
• 1 large bowl
• 1 pan

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Method

1. Sift the flour into the large bowl, and add the baking powder and salt. 
2. Cut your cold butter into small pieces, and add it to the flour. Mix it with your fingers until you get a texture that looks like breadcrumbs. 
3. Whisk one of your eggs and milk together and add it to the mixture then combine the mixture gently with your hand. 
4. Check the dough mixture to see if it is well-formed and springy. If it is too dry and not fully combined, add small quantities of water to it gradually and combine it into your mixture until all the ingredients are fully combined. 
5. Be careful to not overwork the dough so that you have a lovely flaky result at the end. 
6. Cover the mixture and place it in your fridge to rest for at least 20 minutes.
7. For the meat mixture, place your pan on a medium-heat stove and heat the oil. 
8. Cut the onions and pepper and add them to the pan. Add the minced meat, garlic powder, ginger powder, curry, thyme, and stock cubes to the pan and fry it until the colour transforms completely to brown. 
9. Dice your potato and carrot into small uniform sizes and add them to the mixture. 
10. Finally, add your flour or starch slurry which is a tablespoon of flour or cooking starch that is dissolved in room-temperature water. The mixture will thicken the minced meat mixture and then you can turn off the stove. 
11. Allow the mixture to cool down completely before using it.
12. Flour your worktop, bring out the dough mixture, and place it on it. Cut the dough into four equal parts, pick one part, and roll the dough flat with the pin using the mould, cut the dough into small circular shapes.
13. Place the small circular doughs on your mould and add one and a half tablespoons of filling into the center and seal the mould. If you do not have a mould, an alternative is to use a small plate to cut the dough into small circles then add the filling to the center and flip one end of the pie to meet the other end. Seal the ends of the pie with a fork. Place on a lined baking tray. 
14. Repeat this until you have exhausted all the dough and filling that you have. When the meat pies are arranged on the tray, whisk one egg and use it to brush the surface of the pies.
15. Place the tray into a preheated oven at 180°C (or 356°F) and allow it to bake for 25 minutes. Once the meat pie is golden colour, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool down. Your meat pie is ready for consumption.

Baking Tips

1. Make sure to use very cold butter and water.
2. Flour your worktop and rolling pin often to prevent sticking. 
3. Milk enhances the flavour of your dough mixture but is optional.
4. You can use chilli pepper instead of habanero pepper.
5. If you use hot filling, your meat pie would tear so ensure that you allow it to cool down completely. 

Now that you’ve learnt to make meat pie like a pro, feel free to bake it when you have friends over, for any occasion such as birthday, graduation, or one random weekend with your family. Feel free to pair your meat pie with cold pressed juice, zobo, or soda.