Imagine a pie that’s a cross between a traditional English Shepherd’s pie and and an Indian samosa … and you get this samosa pie!
A friend of mine and Mr. Scrummy’s in Australia is originally from Singapore. Everyone loves to invite her to a party or gathering because she’s a beautiful person. They also don’t mind at all that as a big bonus she tends to bring along a huge plateful of freshly made samosas.
The samosas are always such a hit that people sometimes even request them. Our friend doesn’t mind in the slightest and happily obliges, but she shared with us on our last trip Down Under that she often has a little giggle to herself that people assume that this is what she must be good at making … just because she’s from Asia!
I suppose the same sort of thing might happen to all of us if we went to live in Singapore. Might I be asked to bring along a traditional British Shepherd’s pie or fry up some fish and chips?
Speaking of Shepherd’s pie, after coming across a recipe for a ‘samosa pie’ I decided I’d give it a go. I’m not sure I could ever make any simple samosas as good as our friend’s, but the idea of this pie seemed so easy, with no pastry-wrapping to do, that I thought it must be pretty fool-proof. It’s basically a cross between a Shepherd’s pie – which is minced lamb topped with potatoes, just in case you don’t know – and samosas! I thought that just had to be good!
Thankfully, I was right! I ended up with a mildly curried pie with just a light and crispy ‘crust’ of scrunched-up filo pastry. There was also ginger, garlic, coriander and a squeeze of lemon in there which gave it a really rich and tangy flavour. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine how this would taste as I made it, but Mr. Scrummy sorted that one out for me when we sat down to eat. “This tastes just like a samosa!” he declared.
So I think that must mean that the pie was a success! It’s a pie that tastes like a samosa = samosa pie!
Now if you’re thinking “Ah-haa … but don’t try to tell me this is like a Shepherd’s pie. Where’s the potato?” … don’t worry! There is oodles of grated sweet potato in the meat mixture too to give the pie a bit of extra flavour, colour and substance.
You’ve also probably heard the ‘rule’ that a Shepherd’s pie is only a Shepherd’s pie if made with lamb (if made with beef it’s a cottage pie!) but as this is just a ‘pretend’ Shepherd’s pie then of course it’s fine to use beef instead of lamb if you so prefer.
Confession … we ate the leftovers this evening on a baked potato with salsa and Greek yoghurt … delicious!
Samosa pie
Ingredients
- a bit of oil for cooking
- 1 onion chopped
- 17.6 ounces lamb mince or beef if you prefer
- 1 medium sweet potato about 300 grams/10.5 ounces, peeled & grated
- 2 garlic cloves chopped or minced
- a piece of fresh ginger the size of the width of your thumb peeled & grated or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons curry powder I used a medium-strength powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 1/4 cup stock I used beef
- 3.5 ounces frozen peas
- a good handful fresh coriander chopped
- 1/2 juice of a lemon
- salt & pepper
- 3 to 4 sheets filo pastry
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 180C/355F. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan, then fry the onion for a couple of minutes. Add the lamb mince and brown for about 5 minutes, then add the sweet potato, garlic, ginger, curry powder and tomato paste. Stir well, then sprinkle over the flour and stir again.
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Add the stock to the pan, then cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the potato has softened, then stir in the peas, coriander and lemon juice. Season well.
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Tip the meat mixture into a medium-sized pie or baking dish, then brush your filo pastry sheets with a little oil and scrunch over the top of the meat (I only needed 3 sheets but use 4 if that’s better for the size of your dish). Finally, sprinkle over the cumin seeds and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the top of the pie is browned and crispy.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from this recipe at BBC Good Food.
Feel free to use beef mince instead of lamb - although the lamb has such a wonderful flavour!
Leftover samosa pie is delicious served over a baked potato with a simple spicy salsa and Greek yoghurt.
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Lily Lau says
11 Mar 15 at 11:07 pmThis is the typical pie you see in classical movies, out of the window! Aww 🙂
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:26 pmThank you, Lily Lau! Thanks for passing by!
marcie says
12 Mar 15 at 12:05 amYou’re so smart making this into a pie, Helen! This looks amazingly delicious, and I’m sure your friend would be proud of the dish you created since it was inspired by her samosas. I’d love to eat this for dinner right about now! 🙂
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:24 pmThanks, Marcie! I can’t really take credit for the idea … just for finding it! Really happy you like it!
Laura says
12 Mar 15 at 12:06 amHelen, this looks absolutely fabulous ~ that’s it, I’m heading to your place for dinner! I love a good Shepherd’s pie and have never heard of a samosa pie before (I know….I really need to get out more!) I love the filo pastry top as well, something about a pastry top on my casserole just does it for me. I may have to use beef though because I get all weird about eating lamb. I’m sure the beef will still be most excellent. Time to get to work then, huh! Thanks for sharing.
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:24 pmOh, you’re so welcome, Laura! Don’t worry, I’d never heard of a samosa pie either until last week 😉
I promise you this is super easy to make … and making the pastry look good is simple, too. You literally just scrunch it up and lay it over. This is a great mid-week family meal!
Culinary Ginger says
12 Mar 15 at 2:36 amI love to make my own samosas and this is a brilliant idea, combining the best of British and Indian food. I love how pretty the filo pastry looks. Great, great recipe.
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:22 pmThanks so much, Janette! I’ve never actually made my own samosas, but this felt a lot easier. Hope you give it a go some time!
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
12 Mar 15 at 7:42 amPicks drooling mouth of floor and thanks heaven she knows Helen to inspire her with lovely samosa pies like this.
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:17 pmlol … thanks, Bintu! Well, you inspire me a lot, too 😉
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
12 Mar 15 at 11:34 amI love that you have turned this in to a pie. It looks really comforting and delicious and of course even better as it has sweet potatoes in it.
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:17 pmThanks, Dannii! The sweet potato really makes this pie, in my opinion. Hope you try it some time!
Joanne says
12 Mar 15 at 12:01 pmI allllwwwaaayyyss want samosas. Turning them into pie is such a fun idea!
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:16 pmThanks, Joanne … I must admit I’m feeling a bit smug about this one. Have a wonderful weekend!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
12 Mar 15 at 6:13 pmWhat a fun idea! This pie looks so delicious – I really wish I had it for lunch today instead of the soup I’m reheating. 🙂
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:16 pmThanks, Marissa! I bet your soup was delicious, too! 😉
[email protected] Eats says
12 Mar 15 at 8:12 pmI am literally BESIDE MYSELF WITH EXCITEMENT!! I love Samosas and I love all “English” pies. This is soooo clever, the flavours are literally making my mouth drool (I haven’t even had breakfast yet so am suffering big time here!) You rock!! Oh, and i love the hero pic!! Check out that flaky crust!
Helen says
12 Mar 15 at 9:14 pmThanks, Nagi! Likewise, I am very excited to have got you all excited! Funny that it’s brekky time over there … it’s still Thursday evening here! Have a great day!
Chrissy says
12 Mar 15 at 9:38 pmI love these sorts of fusion-esque dishes, and I adore samosas. Best to squeeze these in before the weather gets warm!
Helen says
13 Mar 15 at 4:32 pmHi, Chrissy! That’s what I’m doing … it’s been a bit warmer and sunnier here this week, so I need to get all my pies and stews eaten very soon!
mira says
13 Mar 15 at 12:34 amThis is such a creative idea Helen! Excellent job and I can tell it is very delicious! Need more comfort food in my life! I had shepherd’s pie on my weekend “to cook list”. Pictures look amazing!!!
Helen says
13 Mar 15 at 4:30 pmHi, Mira! Thanks so much for the compliments … I really hope you do make that Shepherd’s pie this weekend. Have you tried one before?
cheri says
13 Mar 15 at 2:50 amHi Helen, I love sweet potatoes, this Samosa pie looks delicious, love your presentation. Have a great week-end!
Helen says
13 Mar 15 at 4:29 pmHi, Cheri! Sweet potatoes are my fave, too … glad you like this, and hope you have a good weekend, too!
Karly says
13 Mar 15 at 4:54 amOh man, this looks amazing, I need to try it ASAP!
Helen says
13 Mar 15 at 4:27 pmHi, Karly! I really hope you do try this some time!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
13 Mar 15 at 8:05 pmThis looks wonderful!I love the idea of a samosa pie Helen. Do you mind if I share it on my facebook page? x
Helen says
14 Mar 15 at 11:59 amOf course I don’t mind … thank you, Lorraine! 🙂
Ashley says
13 Mar 15 at 9:10 pmThis sounds so different than anything I’ve ever had! It looks wonderful!
Hope you have a fantastic weekend!!
Helen says
14 Mar 15 at 11:58 amThank you, Ashley … you, too!
Kathleen | HapaNom says
13 Mar 15 at 9:21 pmWhat a fantastic idea, turning samosas into a pie! I love the flavors you’ve got going on in this dish, especially the ginger – how unexpected, but works so well! And the way you set the filo topping is so pretty, looks like lovely ribbons.
Helen says
14 Mar 15 at 11:58 amThanks, Kathleen! Actually, you wouldn’t believe how easy the filo topping is. I don’t like fussing around too much with these kinds of things so just dumped it on. It looked pretty effortlessly!
Eva says
13 Mar 15 at 11:24 pmSamossa pie, je crois que tu viens juste d’inventer totalement une recette ! il faudra la patenter !! Surtout qu’il a l’air délicieux . Quelle imagination Helen !
Helen says
14 Mar 15 at 11:56 amMerci, Eva! la patenter … hmmmm … quelle bonne idee!
Bon weekend, Eva!
Mariana @The Candid Kitchen says
14 Mar 15 at 11:15 amHelen I love this idea so much. Samosas are a top favourite of mine and I can’t believe you made a pie out of it! So genius.
Helen says
14 Mar 15 at 11:55 amHi, Mariana … thank you so much for the lovely compliment! I must say this was mighty tasty and will be on the menu again some time soon! Or maybe I’ll be brave and try making some actual samosas with the filling!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
14 Mar 15 at 3:35 pmThis looks amazing! Genius combining these two dishes – so tasty, Helen! 😀
Helen says
15 Mar 15 at 8:23 pmThanks, Jess … really glad you like this idea!
Rachel (Rachel's Kitchen NZ) says
15 Mar 15 at 4:57 amOh, delicious – Helen – going to tuck this away for when it gets a bit cooler down here – love the filo topping.
Helen says
15 Mar 15 at 8:23 pmHi, Rachel! Yes, this is definitely a winter dish … worth keeping in mind for a really cold winter’s day!
Maggie says
17 Mar 15 at 5:56 amOMG, what an amazing pie and a genius idea! The filo pastry looks perfectly crisped and I love the fact this is so easy to cook. And I love the idea of serving it with yogurt 🙂
Helen says
17 Mar 15 at 8:48 pmHi, Maggie! Really happy you like the idea of this pie. I must say it was more of a success than I was expecting. The leftovers with the yoghurt and salsa were indeed magnificent!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
17 Mar 15 at 3:15 pmHelen – I adore samosas – unfortunately, I don’t have a friend who brings and shares samosas with me as often as I would like 🙁
But this pie is fantastic! OOoooh to have me a piece!
Helen says
17 Mar 15 at 8:44 pmI know, aren’t I a lucky girl to have a samosa-bringing friend? Although at the moment we’re in the same position because she lives in Australia and I’m in the UK!
Lori @ TheHealthMinded.com says
19 Mar 15 at 4:54 pmLooks like a crowd pleaser, Helen. And a great make ahead which I am always looking for. Thanks for deconstructing the samosas into an easier pie. Have a great weekend!
Helen says
19 Mar 15 at 6:23 pmHi, Lori! This is actually pretty good for a crowd, too, because it makes quite a big pie. 🙂
Rachel says
04 Dec 16 at 10:14 pmWow wow wow. Thank you so much for this recipe! It is definitely going to be a recipe I make over and over again. I made some modifications, in case anyone wants to know. I added garam masala, cayenne, and turmeric. I used regular pie crust instead of puff pastry (just because I like the texture more). I put the pie crust on the bottom of a 9×9 pan and poured the filling on top. There’s enough filling for another meal so I’m going to freeze that for later. I’m eating it now with a dollop of greek yogurt. Amazing! Thanks again!
Helen says
07 Dec 16 at 5:55 pmHi Rachel! You’ve made my day with this comment! Very happy to hear that you enjoyed this, and the modifications you made sound great. I’ll have to try making this again with your twists! 🙂