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butter chicken & bombay potato pies
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Butter Chicken & Bombay Potato Pies

These homemade pies are filled with butter chicken & bombay potatoes, topped with a peshwari stuffed puff pastry lid & finished with garlic butter.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time40 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: British, Indian
Servings: 6 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Pie Dish (See Notes)
  • Digital Food Probe
  • Pestle & Mortar
  • Circular Pastry Cutters (See Notes)
  • Rolling Pin
  • Pastry Brush
  • Baking Tray

Ingredients

Hot Water Crust Pastry

  • 450 g Plain Flour
  • ½ tsp Table Salt
  • 1 Large Egg (Lightly Beaten)
  • 75 g Unsalted Butter
  • 75 g Lard
  • 190 g Water

Peshwari Puff Pastry

  • 320 g Puff Pastry (See Notes)
  • 40 g Unsalted Butter
  • 30 g Flaked Almonds
  • 20 g Desiccated Coconut
  • 15 g Caster Sugar

Pie Filling

  • 900 g Butter Chicken (See Notes)
  • 300 g Bombay Potatoes (See Notes)

To Assemble & Finish

  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 2 tsp Milk
  • A Pinch Of Table Salt
  • 50 g Garlic Butter - Melted (See Notes)

Instructions

Hot Water Crust Pastry

  • Place the flour & salt into a large mixing bowl then stir to combine. Add in the beaten egg, then stir to distribute the egg through the flour. Set aside for now.
  • Next, add the butter, lard & water into a saucepan then set over a medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly until the fats have melted then bring to the boil.
  • As soon as the water & fats are boiling, slowly pour them into the flour, stirring constantly as you do.
    Make sure to keep stirring as soon as you start adding in the fats. This stops the eggs from cooking.
  • Keep stirring for a couple of minutes, until a rough dough forms then give the pastry a quick knead, to make a smooth dough. Cover the bowl & let the pastry rest for 20 minutes.
    The pastry should be cool enough to knead by hand after a few minutes of stirring. If it's not, a food safe glove comes in handy!

Peshwari Puff Pastry

  • Melt the butter for the peshwari filling then set aside & leave to cool slightly.
  • Use a pestle & mortar to crush the flaked almonds into small pieces then stir in the coconut, sugar & butter, to make a thick paste. Set this aside for now.
  • Next, roll your puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 2-3mm. Use a circular pastry cutter* to cut out 12 circles.
    *The cutter should be slightly smaller than the top of your pie dish. We'll be rolling the pastry out slightly once filled.
  • Place a tsp of the peshwari filling on top (in the middle) of 6 of the pastry circles, then brush a small amount of cold water around the edge.
  • Top each disc of peshwari pastry with another disc of puff pastry then lightly press the edges together, to seal.
  • Gently roll each pastry out to distribute the filling & to make the pastry circles big enough to top the pies. The thickness of the pastry should be around 4 mm.
    Be careful not to roll the pastry out too much or the filling could leak!
  • Chill the peshwari pastry circles in the fridge whilst you assemble the pies.

Assembly

  • Grease your pie dishes with butter then set aside.
  • Transfer the hot water crust pastry to a lightly floured surface then divide into 6 portions.
  • Take a portion of pastry & roll out into a 4mm thick circle. Line a pie dish with the pastry then repeat with the remaining portions.
    Make sure to leave a cm or two of pastry overhanging each pie dish.
  • Next, add a single layer of bombay potatoes into the bottom of each pie (around a tbsp) then fill each pie all the way to the top with the butter chicken. The curry should sit slightly above the top of the tins/dishes.
    See the photos in the post above for a visual guide!
  • Brush a small amount of cold water around the edge of each pie then top each with the discs of puff pastry, pressing down lightly on the edges to seal & to thin the pastries out slightly.
  • Crimp the edge of the pies then use a circular pastry cutter (or a knife) to trim the pastry level with the edge of the tin/pie dishes.
  • Cut a small steam hole in the top of each pie then chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Baking

  • Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f). Place a baking tray in the oven at the same time.
  • In the meantime, make an egg wash by whisking the yolks, milk & salt together then brush a light layer over the top of each pie. Return them to the fridge, to chill whilst your oven heats up (for 20 minutes or so).
  • Brush another light layer of egg wash onto each pie then place the pie tins onto the hot baking tray in the oven. Bake the pies for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is a deep, golden brown and the filling is piping hot.
    Cover the pies loosely with foil if the pastry starts to get too brown! The internal temperature of the filling should be at least 75°c/167°f.
  • One baked, let the pies sit for 20 minutes then carefully lift them out of the tins. Brush the top of the pies with the melted garlic butter then serve immediately or leave to cool then store in the fridge.

Notes

1. To Bake In An Aga - Bake the pies in the roasting oven, on a baking tray placed on the floor. Turn the tray every 10 minutes or so, to cook the pies evenly. Keep an eye on the pies after 20 minutes, in case they need to be covered with foil, to stop them browning.
2. Butter Chicken - For 6 pies, you'll need a batch of my butter chicken recipe. After making the curry, transfer it to a shallow dish, leave to cool then refrigerate until completely cold before using. Feel free to use a different curry instead but I'd recommend using one with a thick sauce.
3. Bombay Potatoes - For 6 pies, you'll need half a batch of my bombay new potatoes. After making them, refrigerate until completely cold before using. I'd recommend cutting the potatoes into 1 cm pieces, which you can do before cooking them or once the curry is made.
4. Garlic Butter - I used some of my homemade garlic butter for brushing on top my pies. Alternatively, melt 50 grams of butter then stir in a grated garlic cloves & a tsp of chopped parsley.
5. Puff Pastry - For 6 pies, I used a 320g pack of ready rolled puff pastry (Jus-Rol). A block can be used instead. If using a sheet, fold it in half lengthways before rolling out. Make sure to dust any flour off first.
6. Storage – The baked pies are best eaten warm but will keep for a day or two in the fridge. To reheat, bake the pies at 180°c/356°f until the filling is piping hot. You might need to cover the pies with foil if the pastry starts to brown too much.
7. Pie Tins – I used a deep, 6 hole muffin tin for my pies (I’ve linked this in the post above) but a regular muffin tin will work (you’ll get more pies!). You could also make a large, sharing pie instead. 
8. Pastry Cutters - To cut the puff pastry for the peshwari stuffed lids, you'll need a circular cutter that's slightly smaller than the top of your pie tins. To trim the top of the pies, you'll need a circular cutter the same size as the top of your tin. If you're using the muffin tin that I used (linked in the post above!) then you'll need a 9cm & 10 cm cutter.