Make these moreish pasties for a picnic. They’re easy to pack up and take with you, and inspired by the flavours of a chicken tikka slice
Prep:30 mins
Serves 6 – 8
½ tbsp sunflower oil1 onion, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushedthumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small chunks5 tbsp tikka curry paste227g can chopped tomatoes2 tsp light brown soft sugar100ml double cream
STEP 1Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion until softened, about 6-8 mins. Stir in the garlic and ginger, and cook for 1 min more before stirring in the chicken pieces. Cook for 8-10 mins until the chicken is golden all over. Add the curry paste, stir, then mix in the chopped tomatoes and brown sugar. Cook for 10-12 mins until the liquid has reduced and you have quite a dry curry. Stir in the double cream and cook for 5 mins more until it has reduced slightly – you want a thick sauce, so it doesn’t seep out of the finished pasty. Leave to cool.STEP 2To make the pastry, tip the flour into a food processor along with the butter, caraway and cumin seeds if using and pulse to fine crumbs. (You can also do this in a bowl by rubbing everything together using your fingertips.) Mix in the egg yolk and a splash of cold water, if needed,
to bring the mixture into a dough. Wrap and keep chilled for 20 mins while the filling cools.STEP 3Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it’s about ½cm thick. Stamp out discs using a 10-12cm pastry cutter, or use a small plate as a template and cut out with a knife. (You should get about eight in total.) Put a couple of spoonfuls of the filling over each pastry circle, just off-centre, then brush the beaten egg around the filling and fold the pastry over so the edges meet. Crimp the edges or seal with a fork. Put on a baking tray, cut a few small slashes into the top of each pasty, brush over the remaining beaten egg and bake for 20-25 mins until crisp and golden brown. Cool slightly, then serve. Will keep chilled for up to three days.
