Saigon pork pie

Luke loves a good meat pie when he comes home and this time he's found a chef that is renowned for his award-winning goat pies. His best pie that won was Vietnamese inspired.

Saigon pork pie Credit: Luke Nguyen's Food Trail

• makes

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:20 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Luke and Mick recreate Mick’s winning Saigon pork pie recipe. The only bakery in town that serves beer on tap. Beer and pie don’t mind if we do.

Ingredients

• 4 sheets shortcrust pastry 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 sheet puff pastry

Filling

• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 8 French shallots, finely chopped
• 1 kg pork collar butt, cut into 2.5 cm dice
• 1 tsp ground star anise
• 1 tsp five spice
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 150 g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 60 ml (¼ cup) light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 30 g (¼ cup) cornflour

Cooling time: 2 hours

Instructions

For the filling, heat the oil in large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5-6 minutes or until golden. Add the pork and stir for 1-2 minutes or until well coated.  Add the star anise, five spice and pepper and fry for another minute or until fragrant. Add the brown sugar and stir until it begins to caramelise. Add the garlic, soy sauce and 250 ml (1 cup) water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the pork is very tender. Add the fish sauce and check the seasoning. 

Place the cornflour in a small bowl. Gradually add 125 ml (½ cup) water and stir until smooth. Stir the cornflour mixture into the pork a little at a time, then simmer over high heatuntil the sauce has thickened enough to hold as a pie filling. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold. 

Preheat the oven to 210 ˚C. 

Using a 20 cm pastry cutter, stamp out 6 rounds from the shortcrust pastry sheets and use to line 6 holes of a lightly greased jumbo muffin tin or 11 cm pastry rings, leaving the sides overhanging a little. Fill each hole with the cooled pie mixture and brush the edges with beaten egg. 

Using an 11 cm cutter, stamp out 6 rounds from the puff pastry sheets and place on top of the pies, pinching the edges to seal well.  Brush the tops with egg, place on an oven tray and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Luke Nguyen's Food Trail airs Thursdays at 8pm on SBS. Visit the program page for recipes, videos and more.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Luke and Mick recreate Mick’s winning Saigon pork pie recipe. The only bakery in town that serves beer on tap. Beer and pie don’t mind if we do.