Curried Lentil Pie
A hearty double-crust vegetarian pie stuffed with curried green lentils, potatoes, carrots, and bell pepper spiced with coriander, cumin, turmeric, and ginger. Serve with chutney and a crisp salad.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
90 minREADY
2 hrsThink of this as a samosa that went and got itself a proper pie crust.
Green lentils simmer with diced potatoes, carrots, and bell pepper in a warmly spiced sauce built on coriander, cumin, ginger, and turmeric. The filling is thick, earthy, and packed with texture before it gets tucked into a flaky double-crust pastry and baked golden.
Slice it up and serve with a spoonful of chutney or your favorite chili sauce. A side salad rounds it out into a proper vegetarian supper.
Kitchen Tips
- The filling should be moist but not soupy. If there’s too much liquid when you pull it off the heat, simmer uncovered for a few more minutes to thicken.
- Let the filling cool before spooning it into the pastry. Hot filling melts the dough and leads to a soggy bottom crust.
- Cut a few slits in the top crust to let steam escape. This keeps the pastry crisp instead of steamed.
Variations
- Use puff pastry instead of shortcrust for a lighter, flakier shell.
- Add a handful of frozen peas to the filling in the last five minutes of simmering for extra color and sweetness.
- Swap green lentils for red lentils if you prefer a softer, more stew-like filling.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, heat oil.
Fry onion and garlic for a couple of minutes.
Add potatoes, carrots and bell pepper and continue to fry for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add spices and stir fry for a couple of seconds.
Add lentils and tomato paste, stir quickly and add water.
Cover, raise heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
Check the water levels and lentil consistency.
Cook for another 15 minutes if lentils are not cooked.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
The mixture should be moist but not swimming in water.
Roll out the pastry and line a 9 inch pie plate.
Add the filling and cover with remaining pastry.
Bake at 400 degrees F/200 degrees cup for 30 to 40 minutes until the pastry is browned.
Serve with chutney, chili sauce and a salad.
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