HOW TO PREPARE NIGERIAN MEAT PIE(with health benefits)

HOW TO MAKE NIGERIAN MEAT PIE 

Nigerian Meat Pie is a delicious snack, filled with vegetables (usually potatoes & carrots) and minced meat. This is one of the sought after snack in any festive gathering.

  

 The Nigerian meat pie is often confused with the Spanish Enpanadas, these two snacks have similar shapes, but the process of preparation and the fillings used for both snacks, differs a lot.

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING NIGERIAN MEAT PIE

 MEAT PIE FILLING

• 300g of minced meat (ground beef)
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1 little garlic/garlic powder(optional)
• 3 medium-sized carrots
• 2 medium-sized Irish potatoes
• 1 cooking spoonful of Vegetable Oil
• Seasoning of choice (but preferably)- bouillon cubes(Maggi / Knorr cubes),a teaspoon of thyme, a teaspoon of curry
• 2 tablespoons of plain flour(to make a binder)
• Cool water -- 200ml(more or less)
• Salt to taste

MEAT PIE DOUGH

• 500 grams Plain Flour
• 250grams Margarine
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder (leveled)
• 3\4 teaspoon(a big pinch) of Salt
• about 75 ml Cool Water (or as needed to get a stiff dough)

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION FOR MEAT PIE

**Grind or mince the meat, if you haven’t done that yet.

**Chop or mince the onions and set aside

**Wash and Scrape the carrots, Peel the Irish potatoes, rinse these vegetables (carrot & potatoes) and cut into very tiny cubes.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING NIGERIAN MEAT PIE

*First step is to prepare the Meat Pie Filling:
    Heat up the oil on medium heat. Then add the chopped onions and garlic (garlic is optional), stir fry a bit; add the minced meat to the pot and stir well till the minced meat looses its pink color.   
  Now, Add 1 cup of water to the pot, add the stock cube, thyme and curry. Cover the pot and leave to boil for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the diced potatoes, carrots, salt to taste and leave to cook until the vegetables are done.
   Then, dissolve 2 tablespoonful of the plain flour in half cup of cold water.
   Mix thoroughly and add the mixture to the meat pie filling in the pot, stir well to get until well incorporated, put off the heat and leave to cool.

Tip: This flour mixture helps to bind the filling together and retain the moisture of the meat pie filling when baking. You can use cheese as an alternative.

 THE SECOND STEP IS DOUGH PREPARATION

** Break an egg, beat it and set aside for later use
** Grease the oven tray that you'll be using; Do this by rubbing a little margarine inside the tray. 
This helps to prevent the meat pies from burning. You can also make use of baking sheets.  

* Put the 500g of flour into a big bowl; add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and a big pinch of salt. Mix well.

* Add the margarine (you can melt the margarine, to make mixing easier) and mix thoroughly until the mixture looks more like bread crumbs or sifted garri.

* Now, gradually add a little water and keep on mixing until you get a stiff dough.

* Knead the dough until smooth and leave to rest for 5 minutes, then place on a lightly floured surface. At this stage you can preheat the oven at 335°F or 170°C and continue with the meat pies.

* Using a rolling pin, roll the dough on the table, it shouldn’t be too flat or too thick.

 * With a circular shaped cutter, cut out some circles; you can make use of any clean object you have, to get your desired size.

 

* Remove the excess dough, and then scoop some of the meat pie filling and place in the center of the circular cut dough. Don’t add a lot of filling, so that your meat pie won't look bumpy at the top.

* Now rub the whisked egg, on the edges of the dough you are working with. In place of the egg, you can make use of flour & water mix. This will prevent the meat pie from bursting open while in the oven.

 * The next step is to fold one side of the circular dough to join the other part, to form a semicircle. Use a fork to press the edges tight and give the meat pie its unique design.

  Now transfer unto the greased tray and repeat this process for the remaining circles.

* When all the meat pies are folded, rub the whisked egg on the surface of the meat pies. The egg helps to give the meat pie a golden sheen, but this is optional.

* Place the Meat pies in the preheated oven and leave to bake for 35 minutes or until the meat pies are lightly browned. You can check it from time to time, if you are not sure of the temperature of your oven.

 HEALTH BENEFITS OF NIGERIAN MEAT PIE

1.   It contains Vitamin A which keeps the eyes and skin healthy.

2.   It contains iron which helps the formation of hemoglobin that transports oxygen to different parts of the body.

3.   It provides the body with immediate energy.

4.   It contains vitamins that reduce nervousness and anxiety.

5.   It contains Vitamin B12 which aids formation of red blood cell.