I looked for a restaurant that made meat pies like the ones back home… but nothing hit the spot. I guess if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Ingredients

For the Nigerian Meat pie filling:

• 1½ tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion peeled and diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 1 cup potatoes diced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• 2 bouillon cubes
• 1¼ teaspoon salt
• Cameroon pepper (or chili flakes)
• 1½ – 2 cups water

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Thickening mix

• 2 tablespoon flour
• 4 tablespoon water

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For the Nigerian Meat Pie pastry:

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ tablespoon sugar (or as much as you like)
• 10 tablespoon margarine
• 10 tablespoon butter
• 1 egg (for the egg wash)
• 5-7 tablespoon water

Directions

Directions for making the Nigerian Meat pie filling

• Add the oil to a pan over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until golden.
• Add the ground beef and cook until it’s well browned (it shouldn’t be pink abeg).
• Season with curry powder, thyme, bouillon powder (or cube), and red chili flakes.
• Stir in the carrots and potatoes. Add water and cook until tender.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour and water until smooth and stir the mixture with the filling (this will thicken the filling).

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Directions for making the Meat Pie pastry

• Combine the flour, baking powder, and sugar, in a bowl. Mix well
• Add the margarine and butter to the flour. Using your fingers, gently rub them together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Then, gradually add cold water, a little at a time, mixing until a firm dough forms.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it gently for about 1 minute. Then, return it to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let it rest. If you prefer a softer, less flaky pie, you can skip the refrigeration step.

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Let’s put them together

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Divide the dough into four parts. Roll out each cut-out dough to about ¼ of an inch thick, then use a 5-inch round pastry cutter to cut circles from the dough. Combine scraps, roll out, and cut again.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture into the center of each pie crust circle. Don’t overfill so you can easily close the Pie.
• Fold the dough over and use a fork to seal the dough all along the curved edge. You can also use a pie cutter for this. Use a fork to create a couple of vents on the Pie (this will help prevent air pockets in your pie).
• Crack an egg in a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water and whisk together then use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the Pie.
• Arrange the pies in a single layer on the parchment paper-lined tray.
• Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or till golden brown.
• Leave to cool slightly before serving.