All the flavours of a deliciously spiced Malay curry under a golden layer of pastry. Deliciously creamy and comforting!

Recipe by Crush Magazine

Serves 4 - 6

Chicken Curry 

olive oil
salt and pepper
800 g boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2 onions, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 cardamom pods, bruised
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, chopped
a knob of ginger, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) mild curry powder
1 Tbsp (15 ml) garam masala
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml)  ground coriander
1 tsp (5 ml)  turmeric
1 x 400 g tin coconut milk
1 x 400 g tin peeled & chopped tomatoes
1 C (250 ml) chicken stock
2 sweet potatoes, peeled & sliced into bite-size chunks
3-4 dried apricots, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar

Pastry

1 roll of puff pastry, defrosted
fresh coriander
1 egg, beaten

To Serve

fresh coriander
Basmati rice, cooked according to the packaging instructions
chutney

Chicken Curry

Lay the chicken out onto a tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the chicken pieces in batches until they are browned on both sides, then set aside. Cut the thighs into bite-size pieces (depending on how big they are).

Add another splash of oil to the pan, then add the onion, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf. Fry until the onion softens and starts to colour. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the curry powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric and fry for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add a splash of water if necessary to stop it catching. Add the coconut milk, tomato and stock and stir to combine. Add the chicken, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, sugar and fish sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to thicken. Season to taste then remove from the heat and allow to cool before using.

To Assemble the Pie

Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

Spoon the curry into your pie dish and top it with a little fresh coriander. Make sure that your curry almost fills the dish to the top, so that the pastry can lay on top of it. Measure and cut the pastry to fit the top of the dish, giving it a centimetre extra on all sides so that you can secure it to the pie dish.

Brush the edge of the pie dish with egg wash, then lay the pastry over the top. Use a fork to press the pastry to the side of the dish to seal it. If you have any remaining scraps of pastry, use a cookie cutter to create patterns on the top of the pie. Brush the pastry with egg wash, then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and puffed.

To Serve

Let the pie cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve with fresh coriander, Basmati rice, chutney and 2020 La Motte Millennium.