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Ok so I’m all for my traditional cuisine but what I do also enjoy is fusion food!
I know many of us have been combining East and West for decades, particularly our previous generations who whilst trying to embrace Western food culture found the lack of spice and seasoning hard to adjust to.

I for one always need salt if we eat out and take my own homemade chilli sauces when eating out!

So the humble samosa. I love them.
But I don’t have the energy or time to invest in making them. I find them cumbersome and a huge effort. Specially the frying! The frozen ones are ok but still don’t taste good as homemade!

So I make light work of it and plan ahead.
I always cook extra keema to make couple of other meals and Pasties yes, mini pasties!
Using ready made shortcrust pastry.
Most of the faff done.
Roll out, fill, crimp, glaze and let oven do it’s bit. Light crumbly pastry with delicious keema filling. And that as a secondary dish.
We use flaky pastry for Indian Gregg style pasties. The list is endless.

I recently made some little bitesize Empanada style pastries using left over quorn keema. Flat ones in pics below.
And the fab bit… no frying!
When you can make life easier, why not?

I used chicken keema with peas here.
You can use lamb too.

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Ingredients

Measurements using measuring spoons.

2kg chicken keema
Frozen peas

2 onions chopped fine
2 fresh tomatoes chopped
2 tsp salt
5 cloves garlic minced
1 inch ginger minced
3 green chillies minced
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp tumeric powder
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp dried Kasuri methi leaves
2 tbsp Curry powder

Garnish
Fresh coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
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Method:
Heat ghee and when hot add your oinions.
Cook this for few minutes till onions are getting slight colour. Add tomatoes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add quarter cup water…cover on low and cook till all soft.
Then cook uncovered till oil separates and no water left.

Add to this all the powdered spices (except cardamom and cinnamon), methi and cook again for few minutes stirring to make sure nothing burns. Add the tomato puree, stir a while add bit of water and cook till oil separates. Do this 2 more times…add water…cook till oil splits and repeat.

Now add the keema. Stir well and bhuna this for at least 6 /7 minutes. This is important. You need to let the spices cook out and develop their combined flavours.
Add your peas. Continue cooking open for few more minutes.

Add quarter cup of water…cook on med covered till oil floats to top and all the liquid has disappeared and you have a dryish keema.

Toss in fresh coriander stir.
Lastly add your ground cinnamon and cardamom powder…stir well take of heat.

Let this cool before you use for filling

Ready made short cut pastry or ready mix in bag.

Roll out…use cutters of your choice for choice.
Fill the cut out rings with keema mix, and fold over and crimp the edge tightly.
Either lay them flat or upright.
Beat and egg…brush over and cook in oven tll pastry is golden!

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