There’s something I know for certain: it’s pie season. The cooler temperature and shorter days signal to me, the need for comfort food and even thought the temperature itself hasn’t dipped that much, it’s low enough for me to yearn for the heat of the oven. I’m a different creature in Winter. During Summer it’s all about salads and water but in Winter, it’s a pastry and soup fest. And this comparatively cool Sydney evening made me hanker for some pies.
We try and eat vegetarian a few nights a week for health reasons and to reduce our reliance on meat. That’s not a sign that I am about to go full time vegetarian – I tried that once and it wasn’t for me but it feels healthier and better for the environment to do so three to four nights a week. It also lightens our grocery bill which is a nice bonus for my husband who tears his hair out at the things I like to put in my trolley.
If you’re a hardened carnivore, you could certainly add some chicken to these but I do think that they are perfect as is although by all means substitute it with whatever vegetables you have to hand – 3.5 cups will do. One thing that I never really saw any point to was making your own pastry. That is, until I found an amazing Pâte Brisée shortcrust pastry recipe. I will say that if you are not so inclined to make your own, you can use store bought but this Pâte Brisée pastry is to die for. But don’t worry I haven’t lost the entire plot, I still bought the puff pastry. That would probably signal a descent into utter madness if I were to make my own puff pastry. Feel free to call the authorities to pick me up should that ever happen.
Individual Red Curry Vegetable Pies
An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Makes 18 pies
For pâte brisée shortcrust pastry
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour
- 1/2 cup cold butter plus an extra tablespoon (140 grams total)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Iced water (scant)
OR 3 sheets of ready made shortcrust pastry
For filling
- 1 tablespoon oil for frying
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 cup cubed pumpkin (cubed into small pieces)
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1x 200g tin chickpeas
- Red curry paste plus a little Lime juice, sugar and fish/soy sauce to taste
- 3 tablespoons coconut cream
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
Also
- 2 sheets ready made puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk or 2 tablespoons of milk to glaze
1. Make shortcrust pastry ahead of time and freeze and refrigerate. The key to pastry is relaxing the dough. In a food processor combine all ingredients except for the iced water and whizz together briefly. Then add iced water until it starts to come together and then empty the contents of the processor onto a board and knead briefly. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
2. Now make the filling ahead of time as you want it to cool. Saute onion and garlic with oil in a medium saucepan. Then add curry paste and fry until fragrant (1-2 minutes) stirring constantly. Add stock and pumpkin cubes and cook until pumpkin is tender. Add chickpeas, peas and corn and cook through. Check taste, sometimes I find that the curry paste isn’t full bodied enough so I add a touch of lime juice, sugar and fish sauce to upp the flavour. Remove from heat and add coconut cream and stir. Set aside to cool.
3. Take your individual pie tins (or you could do these in a Texas Muffin cupcake tray). There is no need to butter the tins. Roll out the pastry and cut out rounds to fit the tins. Place in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes-this is important to prevent pastry shrinkage (or you could do the pie tins ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate them). Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Take out the puff pastry about 10 minutes before the other pastry’s time is up.
3. After the 30 minutes is up, remove the tins from the fridge and spoon the filling into the bases. Cut out rounds from the puff pastry to sit on top of the pies. I use the scraps to cut little shapes too but you needn’t do this. Brush with milk or egg yolk glaze and bake for 25 minutes.
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46 Comments | Add your own
Such beautiful little pies! I’d like one right now.
These pies look delicious! A great idea! I love red curry!
Cheers,
Rosa
That pie is welcome in the Pond anytime!
These are so cute – and the fact that they are vego is a bonus. Nothing like a good curry on a cold night!
These look wonderful! It may be just the recipe to trick my partner into eating a veggo meal. He gets fussy when he does not see any meat.
It is SO pie season! Where did the cold come from?
These look gorgeous… and portable, too – I think I’m going to make them for lunches – Thanks
My partner and I are also making a conscious effort to reduce our meat intake- this looks like a perfect way to do that!!
You had me at hello! I would inhale that pie. And the smell of pie and curry wafting through the room together! Yes I am certain they make wonderful friends. Thank you!
It certainly is pie weather – and I can’t wait to try these… and perhaps make my own shortcrust pastry too?
I wouldn’t mind one right about now! They do look very comforting indeed
I think the little shapes on top of the pies should be an essential step, they are so adorable! I love the sound of that shortcrust pastry, I must give it a try sometime. Winter really makes you crave comfort food doesn’t it?
ahhhh! they look so lovely and hot and innards-warming Lorraine. and how nice to have something that tasty that doesn’t involve meat.
Making your own puff pastry isn’t so bad! Well, admittedly I’ve never tried making it in Australian heat, but for a special occasion, I wouldn’t rule it out
The pies are really cute! I love the sound of the filling—I am happily imagining just how wonderful chickpeas would taste after simmering in red thai curry. Yum!
I love your opening paragraph because I felt like pie this weekend but it was too hot to have the oven on. In Canada the days are getting longer and the temperature is getting warmer (slowly). These do look great and we are supposed to have a cold snap this week so they may be what warms the house up.
This sounds like a delicious way to eat vegetarian. I love pumpkin in curry, and making it into a pie would be even better.
I think that eating veg a few nights a week makes sense if people don’t want to be totally vegetarian – and these pies look like just the ticket!
I was surprised to see shortcrust pastry and puff pastry in one dish – I am sure these would work well with just the puff pastry lid and no bottom layer of pastry – I have done mini pies this way that worked well but they don’t look as gorgeous as yours
I know exactly what you mean about cutting down on the veg intake for the week. Those pies look lovely and satisfying..I adore the little designs on top
they would go down very well on a cold day like today. if you ever need a taste tester to feed you know who to contact!
s
They look hearty, comforting and tasty! The best recipes look nice AND taste good.
I think all weather is PIIIEEE weather
! Yuuummm but no oozy innard shot?
I don’t think I can handle 3-4 nights without meat haha but it is such a good way to lose weight and feel healthier
Those are adorable! It’s so strange reading about your autumn kicking in while it’s just starting to really warm up here! Your pies do look lovely, though.
You could totally handle making puff pastry. I’ve made it twice and it’s easy, not even really time-consuming. I’m looking forward to making lots of puff pastry tarts with the fruits coming into season here!
Why there is no picture of the pie filling? You used to capture the pie filling’s image.
hey these look aweomse… The only glitch for me is that red curry isnt usually vegan. I wonder if these would taste weird if i did them with green curry paste instead?? keep the vego recipes coming i love them!
Thanks
They look so yummy! I love home made pies.
those pies remind me of a stint i did in the local pie & gift shop when i was about 14.
it was a nightmare having to decipher the pastry cut-outs on the tops of the pies.
half moons, half moons with stars, but without sesame seeds, some with poppy seeds some without – it was a bloomin’ minefield!
mmm, Pie season is all seasons for me
Thohse look delicious. I love curry though never had the red one. Is it hotter?
Curry veggie pies sound delicious! Good for any season!
Yes, it IS pie weather. It’s past 10pm here, getting a bit cool (even though I am in Brisbane) and would definitely be happy tucking into a pie right now. Very nice. Think I may have to get myself across some pastry soon.
these are some adorable little pie-lets, lorraine! the filling sounds incredible, and i love the little glimpse we get of it, peeking out from underneath that glorious crust. bravo!
Yes it is indeed pie season, as well as other comfort foods
Making a conscious effort to have vegetarian meals a few times a week is a great thing and one that probably more of us should be doing on a regular basis. Good work with that
very nice! I could eat the filling by itself!
Oh wow, those look stunning and it sounds like the bestveggie pot pies ever. Another must try!!
Mmmm, such beautiful comfort food… Your pies look so scrumptiously filling with all the hearty veggies – so cozy and healthy too!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who has reached such a decision! 
I’ve often contemplated making my own puff pastry, but I too have always concluded that it would be sheer madness…
They look so cute! Not a big fan of veg, but I’ll definitely eat a dozen of these.
Hi Barbara-Thankyou so much!
Hi Rosa-Thankyou! I love all kinds of curry but especially red curry
Hi Blond Duck-Hehe yes the pond is pie-land!
Hi Cakelaw-Yes I love pies and curry on a cold night!
Hi Feasting on Art-Thankyou!
Haha yes he won’t even know that there isn’t any meat under the lid! 
Hi Sarah-I know! It came all of a sudden!
Great idea! Hubby took them to work and loved them for lunch 
Hi sandra-Fantastic! Here you can barely tell there’s no meat!
Hi Maria-Hehe cool!
You’re so welcome! 
Hi Anita-It is :lol One of the few advantages to cold weather! This shortcrust is really good. I don’t buy it anymore!
Hi Betty-They are, pies are such comfort food!
Hi Steph-Haha I can never resist using up the last scraps of pastry!
It does! I eat so differently in Winter!
Hi shez-Thankyou! Yes I love meat but eating vegetarian isn’t bad at all!
Hi Angela-Haha well maybe I will go down that route one day but I saw Delia make it and it looks a bit too homespun. Plus the
bought one isn’t too bad! They’re really good, I thoroughly recommend them
Hi Margaret-Hehe thankyou!
Ahh lucky you, I am tempted to fly North for the sun! 
Hi Arwen-Me too! I love curries and I’m really getting into pies now that I have this pastry recipe
Hi Johanna-Yes I couldn’t commit to becoming a vegetarian but I really don’t mind eating it a few nights a week. Most bought
pies have a shortcrust bottom and a puff pastry top
The shortcrust is more sturdy and can hold in more juices than puff
but yes puff is delicious too!
Hi Alexandra-Hehe do you mean meat intake? I try and increase veg intake which is easy as I love vegetables. Thankyou so
much!
Hi Simon-Yes, the colder it gets, the more pies will be baked here at Chez Elliott! Haha ok!
Hi maris-Thankyou so much!
Hi FFichiban-Haha yes you do indeed. I can say that with certainty! No innard shot-it was getting too late and I wasn’t even
sure if these would work out. I didn’t think they would! But you can see the inside peeking out.
Hi anna-Thankyou! Yes I know, and stranger still when we’re in the throes of Winter and you’re having Summer! Really, it’s
not time consuming? I thought it would be. Hmm maybe it’s not so bad after all…
Hi Lilia-Ha is there a rule that there has to be? Sheesh!
Hi anna-Thankyou! Hmmm is it? Is there fish in it somewhere? They’d be great with green curry paste I would think!
You’re
welcome!
Hi Bria-Thankyou! Me too-especially the smell of them baking
Hi the projectivist-Haha you know some of those shops have so many varieties! It would be so hard to remember them when
you’re starting!
Hi ArtemisIII -Hehe yes this is true, there’s never a bad time to have pie. I don’t think it is that much hotter, I believe
red curry is made of the larger red chilis which are milder hence the red colour but green curry has more coriander in it
Hi 5 Star Foodie-Thankyou so much!
Hi Julia-I wish we had Brisbane weather here! I loved this pastry and these pies so I hope you do too!
Hi grace-Hehe pie-lets! What a cute name
Thankyou!
Hi Simon-Yes all those glorious Wintry comfort foods…I really don’t mind it at all. It’s not something I really think about
that consciously as I tend to have some vegetarian dishes in my usual weekday dinners
Hi Sophia-Hehe I did that too with the leftover filling
Hi Lisa-Thankyou so much!
If you make them I’d love to know what you think of them!
Hi Astra-Haha good to know that although some have commented that it is not very hard or time consuming. Hmmm could I be
tempted to try making it? Eeek!
Hi pigpigscorner-Hehe you’re not? Aww well you could add chicken to it
Based on your lovely recipes, I can only imagine how much hair has been torn from your husband’s head. I’m sure he doesn’t mind once everything’s cooked, right?
yep red curry past usually has a fish sauce of some kind. green seems to be the only vegan curry paste:)
will try them out with green this weekend and let you know how they go!
i have a retreat from blog-land for a little while and here you are cooking rad tasty pies and chatting to cooking celebrities. how exciting.
these little pies look fantastic lorraine!
Bonjour Lorraine,
I like the idea to add red curry in the filling : I’ll try it very very soon for sure !
Those pies are perfect! They are calling our names.
Hi Jude-Hehe thanks! He gets a bit frustrated and always wonder why I have to have the “special sugar” when normal sugar will do everyone else
But yes once it’s there in front of him he’s happy and he actually prefers the special sugar!
Hi anna-Ahh I see. Well I think these wouldbe splendid with Green curry paste! Excellent!
Hi reddoorread-Hehe I try! Thankyou!
Hi Nawal-Hello! Wonderful, I’d love to know what you think!
Hi The Duo Dishes-Cool! They’re such portable, comfort food!
It is summer here, but i would not mind having these:-) what an idea.. & a great fusion! I could take little bites as an appetizer even.. love the cute little designs on the pie.
Hi Soma-An idea is to have them cold as a lunch time snack which is how my husband ate them
Thankyou!
look great, could they be frozen?,if so when,before or after cooking
Hi fran-Thanks! I think you could freeze them after baking (or even before although I haven’t tried freezing them prior to baking)
they look like the plastic cakes I had when I was a little girl,,,, good memories,,,Its gonna be so good to actualluy be able to eat them now!
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