How to make meat pie the Ghanaian way

Flaky pastry filled with minced beef, onions and green peppers. These meat pies are delicious and a popular Ghanaian snack.

There is no particular recipe for making the pastry for this meat pie. In Ghana we cook to taste, so no two meat pierecipes are the same. I learnt my recipe from an aunt who doesn’t measure her ingredients. When making these, I had to stop and measure as I went along. My pastry contains no butter, just margarine. The pastry is so delicious you won’t even miss butter

Ingredients

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Method

Filling

Add a little oil to a large frying pan and heat up. Add the mince and onions and cook on medium heat until it browns, stirring in between.

Mix in tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Stir into mince with all-purpose spice, maggi (stock) cube and salt. Remove from heat and leave to cool, then stir in chopped green peppers.

For Pastry

Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add margarine to the flour. Rub in using your fingertips. Add all the cold water at once and use your fingers to bring the pastry together.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very lightly.

To assemble

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Rolling should be be carried out in short, sharp strokes, with light, even pressure in a forward movement only. Turn the pastry as you roll.

Cut circles in the dough and place a quarter cup of mincemeat in the centre of the circle.

Fold dough over making it into a semicircle. Take a pastry brush and dip in water and moisten edges of dough circle then pinch sides together with a fork. Use a fork and poke holes on the top of the meat pies.

Place pies on baking tray.

Brush the tops of meat pies with egg wash and bake in oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the pies are golden brown.