The recipe for this minced-meat pie comes from my late aunt who was a great cook. My mom added her own desi twist to this continental dish and passed on the recipe to me. It is one of my favourite dishes to make at home.
Ingredients
Minced mutton or beef - half kilo
Onions - 3
Potatoes – 2 or 3
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Mint and coriander leaves - each a fistful
Salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste.
Pasta of choice – 200 gm
Tomato puree
Grated cheese
Preparation
In a pressure cooker, sauté onions till golden-brown in oil.
Next, add ginger-garlic paste and sauté till it’s rid of its raw smell.
Add the leaves, let them get soft.
Add peeled and cubed potatoes, and then, the meat.
Put in the seasonings and add water based on the type of meat used and pressure-cook.
Keep on a low flame till all the water is absorbed.
Boil the pasta in water, with a pinch of salt and one tsp of oil.
Once cooked, let the water drain, and rinse it again to prevent stickiness.
White sauce
In a pan, heat 2 tsp each of butter and oil. Mix in 4 tbsp of maida, making sure there are no lumps. Add 2 cups of milk little by little. Some fresh cream can also be added to make the sauce thicker and richer.
Mix 2 beaten eggs with pepper and salt, and add to the mixture. Let it cool.
Assembling the pie
Take a baking pan and spread a layer of the minced meat mixture.
Then, add a layer of cooked pasta, topped by white sauce, and then, tomato puree.
Sprinkle some grated cheese.
Repeat the layers and bake it at 180 degrees in an oven for 15 minutes.
Serve with garlic bread and mint mojito.