Green curry pork pie

Worlds collide in this piece of pastry art, with Thai green curry paste, slow-cooked pork, coconut cream and lime all united in pie form.

Credit: Danielle Abou Karam

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  5 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork shoulder, fat trimmed and cut into quarters
• 4 tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 600 ml coconut cream
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 large limes, juice
• 6 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced
• ½ butternut pumpkin (around 400 g), cut into 2-cm cubes
• ½ bunch coriander, chopped
• 3 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry
• 3 sheets frozen puff pastry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Resting time: 10 minutes

Chilling time: 3-4 hours

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Place the pork in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of curry paste and toss to coat well.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy–based saucepan over high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining curry paste to the residual oil in the pan and stir until fragrant.
4. Add the coconut cream, fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice and makrut lime leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Return the meat to the pan along with any resting juices. Cover and bake for 3 hours.
5. Add the pumpkin to the pork and cook, uncovered for another hour or until the pork pulls apart easily. Remove from the oven and pull the pork apart with 2 forks. Add the coriander leaves, adjust the seasoning and leave to cool. Refrigerate until chilled.
6. Preheat the oven to 200°C and remove the pastry from the freezer, allowing it to thaw slightly. Using a 12.5 cm pie tin as a guide, cut out 6 rounds from the shortcrust pastry, cutting about 2 cm larger than the edges of the tins. You should be able to cut 2 rounds from one sheet of pastry. These will be your bases. Cut out another 6 rounds from the puff pastry, using the tin as a guide and cutting flush against the edge. These will be your tops. Cut an X in the middle of the puff pastry rounds.
7. Take the pastry bases and line 6 x 12.5 cm pie tins, letting the excess hang over the edge. Fill each one with the pulled pork filling and brush the edges with egg wash. Place the puff pastry tops on, pressing the sides to seal. Brush with more egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut away the excess, then bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

 

Photography by Danielle Abou Karam.

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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.