Ameer Kotecha

The joy of Chicken Tikka Masala Pie

  • From Spectator Life

At this time of year, nothing beats a cosy tavern with steamed up windows, a roaring fire and hearty food. ‘Gastropubs’ have come under some justified criticism over the years: trying too hard to be restaurants and with prices to match, pricing out their former loyal clientele. Too many regular pubs meanwhile are happy to serve microwaved food or, as is the fashion nowadays, mediocre Thai cuisine.

Pub or gastropub, the most successful food offerings at a good watering hole are often the pies. With any luck there will be options: picnic pies with hot water crust pastry (Crystelle from Bake Off recently produced a good-looking curried chicken and potato terrine pie) and the likes of shepherd’s pie topped with buttery mash. But my favourite are the shortcrust or puff pastry pies: steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom, and everything in between.

It requires no great leap of the imagination to conclude that filling such a pie with curry might be rather successful too. For why not combine the joys of pub food with those of the curry house? And buttery, flaky pastry is not so different to a paratha or naan as a foil to your curry. The idea of encasing curry in carbs also has precedent: in Durban, South Africa – which as a city boasts the largest Indian population of anywhere outside of the subcontinent – they delight in a ‘Bunny Chow’ which consists of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry.

The below recipe would work with any of your favourite curries. The only important thing to ensure is there is plenty of sauce. I have used puff pastry rather than shortcrust for maximum convenience – don’t bother making it yourself, it will taste no better than the shop-bought puff pastry sheets even if your guests don’t have the heart to tell you.

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