One of those dry days, when my head is empty! :) The day has started beautifully, with a mild sun, clouds splashed on the sky and the sky reflecting a beautiful tinge of blue. The breeze has been so lovely that there is no need to have the air conditioner on in the car now. All I do is to lower down my windows completely and enjoy the breeze as it slowly brushes by my face, till some damn smoker destroys the fun from the car in the front! No offence meant to smokers in any way, but then sometimes I really wish they would stop considering the air as their private property which can be made filthy whenever they want! I am sure many drivers who love to enjoy this kind of a weather would completely agree with me. The forecast for the day seems to thunderstorm in certain parts of the country, however looking out at the moment, it does not seem any way close by! But then, nature is funny, isn't it? It has its own ways of attacking when you are least expecting it to. :)
Off to today's recipe, ever since Gayathri had declared "mince pies" as the challenge for the Eggless Baking, I guess it was in July or August, I have been wanted to make it though I could not be on time to complete the challenge due to Ramadan. But then I had already put it into my mind that I would make it once for sure. Even though I would have gone for a non-vegetarian version, I did not do it for this as I had to finish my stock of soya in my pantry. But next time, I am definitely going to try these with a chicken filling! I must say the crust was soft and flaky and with a generous dose of chilli sauce, the pie tasted awesome! A special mention to a blogger friend who is a fellow UAEite, Farwin, whose recipe I referred to for making the pie crust and helped me with all dumb questions that I had. :)
Off to today's recipe, ever since Gayathri had declared "mince pies" as the challenge for the Eggless Baking, I guess it was in July or August, I have been wanted to make it though I could not be on time to complete the challenge due to Ramadan. But then I had already put it into my mind that I would make it once for sure. Even though I would have gone for a non-vegetarian version, I did not do it for this as I had to finish my stock of soya in my pantry. But next time, I am definitely going to try these with a chicken filling! I must say the crust was soft and flaky and with a generous dose of chilli sauce, the pie tasted awesome! A special mention to a blogger friend who is a fellow UAEite, Farwin, whose recipe I referred to for making the pie crust and helped me with all dumb questions that I had. :)
Soya Mince Pies
Makes 6
For dough:
150 gm all purpose flour
50 ml melted butter
1/8 tsp salt
Ice cold water for kneading
150 gm all purpose flour
50 ml melted butter
1/8 tsp salt
Ice cold water for kneading
For filling:
1 cup soya chunks
1tsp oil
1 large onion, minced
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Combine the flour, butter and salt in a bowl. Add the cold water slowly to bring to a non-sticky dough. You may need roughly 3 to 4 tbsp of water to do this. Wrap the dough in a cling film and leave it in your fridge for an hour.
Now let's start making the filling. Soak soya chunks into a bowl of hot water for around 10-15 minutes. Drain and press the chunks to release all the water. Put into a grinder and crush to make the mince.
Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add the onion and saute till soft. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook till the raw smell is gone. Add in the remaining of the ingredients and cook till the peas become soft and the raw smell of the masalas are gone. Now add in the soya mince, mix well for the flavors to incorporate and leave for around five minutes on low flame. Switch off and allow to cool completely. Divide into 6 equal portions.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Generously grease a 6-hole muffin pan.
Take out the dough and divide into 6 equal balls. On a clean surface, sprinkle flour and using a rolling pin, flatten one ball to the size of a chapathi. Slowly take out and press the center into one of the muffin hole, making it look like a basket. Put in one portion of the filling inside and seal the top with the dough that is hanging out - I sincerely hope I've been able to explain correctly!!! Repeat till all are done.
Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes till the top in golden in color. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and slowly transfer to your rack. Serve warm with a cup of chai!!!