Ghanaian Tuna Pie

This recipe was borne out of my need to use my tuna flakes before it went bad and also because I've been c raving Ghanaian meat pies lately so it seemed like a great choice to make a this tuna pie. My favorite thing about the pie is the filling. It's super yummy and can be eaten on it's own. It also makes a great savory filling in breads.

Recipe Yields 10 medium sized pies

what you need

320g canned tuna flakes (with all the juices and oil)

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce /paste/powder (add more or less)

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 medium sized carrots, grated

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped/grated

salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon favorite spice mix

1/4 cup veg oil

1 onion, finely chopped

slurry

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup water

Pastry

400g soft flour (pastry flour)

200g unsalted butter, very cold and firm

2 egg yolks

6 tablespoons cold water (depending on your flour, you might use more or less)

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg whisked (to brush the the pie before baking)

Directions

For the pastry

Refrigerate butter until hard then cut into cubes. Meanwhile combine the flour, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the cubed butter mixture and mix by pinching the flour and butter between your fingers just until all the flour is coated and it resembles a bread crumbs. Don’t worry if you see flecks of butter in the dough, that’s what we want. Add the egg yolks and mix just to combine then add the cold water gradually just until it comes together and forms a dough that can hold its shape as a ball. Don’t overwork the dough. The more your overwork or over mix the dough the tougher your crust will become. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a cling film and pat down to flatten it. Refrigerate for 30 mins. If possible, do all these as fast as you can so the butter doesn't melt otherwise use a food processor by going through all the same steps above.

For the filling

Heat up oil over medium heat and add the roughly chopped onion. Fry onions until turn translucent then add the garlic and the grated carrot. Cook until carrots are just soft enough then add the chili sauce. Stir and add the tuna flakes. Taste and adjust salt. Add the slurry and stir together. Cook for 2 mins then add the finely chopped onion and ginger then turn the heat off. Set it aside in the refrigerator and allow it to cool down. Taste your filling again after it has cooled down completely to be certain that everything is well balanced.

Assembling

Preheat oven to 170C

Stir the cooled filling and set aside. Lightly flour a clean and dry surface. Gently pat dough down with fingersn to create a small circle. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and roll until 3-5mm thick about the thickness of the mouth/tip of a standard drinking glass. Cut dough into desired sizes.

Put 1 to 2 tablespoons or more of the filling at the center of the round dough and gently lift one edge of the dough to the opposite edge to conceal the filling. Gently poke the edges of the dough with your fingers to seal it completely then use a fork to poke the top so the steam created when baking can evaporate. Re shape leftover dough into a ball and set in the freezer to avoid the butter/melting. Bring it out when you're done filling first batch and repeat the steps until all the dough is filled. Keeping the extra pie dough in freezer whilst filling ensures that the butter doesn't melt. Gently lift and stretch the edge of the dough when sealing so it seals properly.

Generously brush the pie with the egg wash and bake in the middle rack at 170C for 20 to 27 mins or until golden brown on top. Serve with chilled drink or perhaps my mint lemonade or my rosemary and orange iced tea.