Nigerian Meat Pie

5 from 9 votes

Make this irresistible Nigerian Meat Pie with perfectly flaky pastry and a rich, savory ground beef filling. Serve as a snack or appetizer and impress your family and friends with every bite.

Prep Time5

Cook Time50

Total Time55

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Nigerian

Servings: + (party size)

Calories: 1325kcal

Author: Jen Sim

Equipment

baking tray
Basting brush
Rolling Pin

Ingredients

750 g of minced beef
1 large onion diced
2 Knorr chicken stock cubes
A pinch of thyme
3.5 potatoes diced
5 carrots diced
3 tablespoon of flour
1-2 cups of water

Dough

1.5 kg of flour
3 teaspoon of baking powder
1.5 teaspoon of salt
750 g of margarine
375-450 ml /2-3 cups of cold water
2 eggs beaten
A splash of vegetable/sunflower oil

Instructions

Heat a splash of oil in a large pan. Then add onions and cook for a few minutes. Add minced beef, salt to taste, pepper to taste, a pinch of thyme, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add knorr cubes, potatoes, carrots and 1-2 cups of flour mix and stir. Leave to cook for 5-7 minutes or until done. Set aside and leave to cool. Flour mix includes: 1-2 cups of water mixed with 2-3 tablespoon of flour.
Meanwhile, add flour, baking powder, 1-2 teaspoon of salt and small chunks of cold margarine into a large mixing bowl. Combine flour mix and butter together by rubbing both together using your fingertips. Alternatively, you can add the flour mix and butter to a food processor and pulse until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
Pour in cold water and mix everything together until it forms a ball. Then, knead the dough and leave to sit for 7-10 minutes.
Preheat oven at 170°C. Divide the dough into two to make it easier. Use a rolling pin to flatten the first dough (it should be about 5mm thick). Use something circular to cut out the pastry the pie. Add the minced beef filling to the centre of the pastry and use egg mix to seal the pie. Use a fork to seal the edges and lightly brush the pie with egg mix. Repeat this step for each pie.
Grease a large oven tray with margarine and bake pies for 30-40 minutes.
Get ready to eat!

Notes

Filling: Be generous with the ground beef filling. A meat pie should be satisfyingly full, not hollow, but over filling can cause the pastry to split. To keep the filling moist after baking, mix in a good amount of the flour-water slurry. Always taste and adjust your seasoning before assembling to ensure bold, balanced flavor.
Ground Beef: Cook just until browned. Overcooking will dry it out and make it rubbery, which can ruin the texture of the filling.
Pastry Dough: Over-kneading the dough can make it tough. Use cold margarine and water to help achieve that signature flaky texture. Once combined, your flour and fat mixture should look like breadcrumbs.
Egg Wash: For a golden, glossy finish, lightly brush the pies with egg wash before baking. To make it, whisk together 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. It also helps seal the edges and gives your pies that bakery-style shine.

Nutrition