Curried Vegetable Pie

Curry pie is a standard vegetarian savory pie found in New Zealand, Australia, and countries with similar cuisines. I've lost track of how many times I've had one, and am always excited by the pie's wonderful aroma and spice.

Today I finally decided to make this on my own, and found that it's actually pretty easy! 

I made this over two days, but it can be made in a little over an hour if you use a pre-made pie crust. Make your own crust in an additional 10-20 mins. I would say the biggest roadblock to successfully completing this recipe is securing the ingredients. I did not have everything but was able to make substitutions and everything turned out okay.

I researched several recipes online and combined bits and pieces to get this version. I borrowed heavily from this BBC recipe.

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 T sunflower oil

2 stalks celery (or 1 small onion) finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

*1 green chili, seeds removed & chopped

1 T garam masala

1 t ground tumeric

1 t ground cumin

1/2 c water

3 T chopped fresh coriander or 1 T dried ground coriander

2 carrots, large dice

1 parsnip, large dice

2 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks

1/2 c frozen peas

2 T butter

3 T flour

4 T Greek yogurt

*I did not have a green chili, so I substituted in some dried hot peppers.

For the crust:

Premade, purchased at the grocery

OR

1 batch of my pie crust

Ready to bake

First, make the filling. Boil the potatoes in a pot until they are "al dente". In a large saucepan, heat the oil, then add celery (onion), garlic, chili, masala, cumin, tumeric, and cook ~3 minutes, until onions are clear. Add water plus the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 minutes. Add frozen peas at the very end and mix. 

Remove from heat and strain, saving the liquid.

In a small saucepan melt the butter, add the vegetable liquid, and flour. Stir until mixed through, and remove from heat. Add coriander and yogurt.

Combine the sauce with the vegetables and stir to coat. This is the filing.

Preheat the oven to 400 F or 200 C.

Make the pie crust, or remove crust from fridge and line a pie dish. These pies are usually made in small, single servings, but if you don't have these use a regular-size pie dish. I opted to use a smaller casserole dish, since it is deeper. Fill the pie, then add a second layer of pastry on top. Seal the edges (either with a fork or your fingers), and slice a few holes in the tope of the pastry.

Bake 30-45 minutes, until the crust is browned and the inside is warmed through. Serve immediately.

Result: I liked it and it had that exact curry flavor I was craving. Though the spice was lacking, both hotness and flavor intensity. Next time I'll be doubling all the seasonings and adding more hot peppers :)