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Aloo pie
Soft fried pastry pockets stuffed with mashed potato seasoned with roasted geera, garlic and shado beni
Aloo pie is a Trinidadian street snack: a soft, chewy fried dough shaped like a big half-moon, filled with mashed potato seasoned with roasted geera, garlic, pepper and shado beni. It's sold at doubles stands, roti shops and school canteens all over the island, and the classic way to eat it is split open and loaded with curry channa, tamarind sauce and pepper. It's softer and breadier than an Indian samosa. Chef's tip: roast the geera seeds yourself until they're dark brown and fragrant, then grind them. That deep, smoky cumin flavour is what makes Trini aloo pie taste the way it should.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
For frying
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Make the dough: mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp salt. Add ¾ cup lukewarm water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil and knead to a soft, smooth, slightly sticky dough, about 5 minutes. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Meanwhile, boil 1 ½ lb potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until very tender. Drain well and let them steam dry in the pan for 2 minutes, then mash until smooth.
17 minStep 3: Toast 1 ½ tsp geera (cumin) seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes until dark brown and smoky-smelling, then crush to a powder in a mortar. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in the same pan and fry 4 cloves garlic and ¼ scotch bonnet pepper for 30 seconds until fragrant, without browning. Trinidad's hot peppers (scotch bonnet or the local 'congo pepper') are very hot: seeded and finely chopped gives a steady burn, a whole pepper dropped in and lifted out gives fruity flavour with only gentle heat.
3 minStep 4: Mix the geera, garlic and oil, 3 tbsp shado beni (culantro) or coriander, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper into the mashed potato. Taste; it should be well seasoned. Cool, then divide into 8 portions.
Step 5: Divide the dough into 8 balls. On an oiled or lightly floured surface, flatten one into an oval about 14 × 10 cm. Put a portion of filling on one half, fold the other half over and press the edges firmly to seal. Gently roll or press it out a little longer and flatter, about 1 cm thick, taking care not to split it.
Step 6: Heat 1 litre vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry the pies 2 at a time for 2–3 minutes a side, until puffed and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
12 minStep 7: Serve hot, split open and filled with curry channa, tamarind sauce and pepper sauce if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aloo pie take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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