Lamb korma pies with red lentils
makes 4 pies
You will need four deep, one-cup capacity pie dishes for these very tasty pies.
For the red lentils
| 200 g | Red lentils, well washed (Main) |
| ½ tsp | Turmeric powder |
| 3 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 | Onion, finely sliced |
| 2 cloves | Garlic, finely sliced |
| 1 serving | Chilli flakes, to taste |
For the lamb korma
| 3 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 5 cm | Cinnamon sticks |
| 8 | Cardamom pods, seeds removed, lightly crushed |
| 2 | Bay leaves |
| 1 knob | Fresh ginger, about cm, finely grated |
| 3 cloves | Garlic, crushed |
| 1 kg | Lamb, diced (Main) |
| ½ cup | Almond milk |
| ¼ tsp | Cayenne pepper |
| 1 Tbsp | Cornflour, made into a paste with 1Tbsp water |
| ¼ cup | Cream |
| 1 cup | Cauliflower, cut into small florets, blanched |
For the pie
| 400 g | Puff pastry, thawed |
| 1 | Egg, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt |
Directions
For the red lentils
- Place lentils and turmeric in a saucepan and pour over 2¾ cups water. Bring up to the boil, cover then lower the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes until soft. Season with salt.
- Meanwhile, pour oil into a small frying pan and place over a low heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is golden. Add chilli flakes and cook for a further 1 minute. Add onion mixture to cooked lentils and mix well.
For the lamb korma
- Heat the oven to 170C. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a small frying pan and place over a medium heat. Place in cinnamon stick, cardamom seeds and bay leaves. Stir for a few seconds, then add the ginger and garlic, stir well then remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large casserole dish suitable for stove-top-to-oven. When hot, brown the lamb on both sides, in batches. Add spice mixture to casserole dish.
- Pour in almond milk with the cayenne pepper and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Pour in 1¾ cups cold water. Bring up to a simmer, stir well, cover and place in the oven. Cook for 2½ hours until the meat is tender.
- Remove from the oven and thicken sauce with cornflour paste.
- Add the cream and cook until the sauce is thick. Remove bay leaves and set aside to cool. Stir through blanched cauliflower florets.
For the pie
- Increase oven temperature to 200C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured bench top to about 5mm in thickness. Using your pie dish as your guide, cut a circle slightly larger than the dish, then cut a strip of pastry to fit around the edge of the dish. Brush pastry strip with egg wash. Repeat with remaining pie dishes.
- Divide cooled mixture between 4 pie dishes and place on pastry lid. Trim away any excess pastry and press with your thumb to seal. Using a sharp knife "knock up" edges of pastry. Make a slit in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush pastry top with egg wash.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until well browned and filling is bubbling hot.