Most South African youngsters are more than just a little familiar with that 2 am garage pie snack. Late nights and feeling-less-than-amazing next days aside, garage pies can also quell a serious hunger at any time of the day. And sometimes only a delectable hot pie, straight from the garage mini-oven, will do!
All local petrol stations across South Africa know just how important it is to keep their pies well stocked. Hungry South Africans of all ages and backgrounds know that it’s time to head to the garage when hunger strikes. Not because we like a jug of petrol to wash the pie down, but because conveniently located between the Panadol and the Coke is usually a hidden gem. A tiny bakery or hot food counter filled with mouth-watering delicious pastries. And, there you have it, the home of the South African Pie! No other nation quite understands the practicality of filling the car with petrol and buying the perfect pie; it’s the very definition of a ‘local is lekker!’ combination!
But, what if we told you that you didn’t need to wait to be out with friends or suffering the after-effects of a wildebeest-sized hangover to enjoy these heavenly pastries? Instead, you could enjoy them at any time. For example, as a lunchtime treat, on your way to work, or even as a lazy supper with salads.
Shh, the secret is you don’t even have to go to the petrol station to get them; with a few basic ingredients and a great South African pie recipe, you could whip up these tasty morsels at home. No need for a garage trip at all – now that’s winning! Of course, that’s not to say you should stop supporting your local petrol stations pastry counter, but for those days when you want something a little closer on hand – making your own is the prize.
By now, you’re probably well aware that we’re about to share a delicious South African pie recipe with you – get ready to start baking today!
South African pie recipe
The chicken and mushroom pie
Roll out the red carpet for everyone’s favourite garage pie! Here’s how to make your own.
Basic pie ingredients needed
- Large flat oven tray
- Greaseproof paper To line the tray
- Large frying pan
- Puff Pastry Two sheets of pastry, 400 grams each, per pie mix
- One Tbsp Oil 15ml
- Onion One, finely chopped
- Cake Flour Four tablespoons per pie mix
- Eggs One egg beaten
Additional ingredients required:
- Skinless Chicken breast 500g cubed
- Onion One, finely chopped
- Button Mushrooms 100g sliced
- Chicken Spice Robertson’s chicken spice or any spices you prefer
- Milk One and a half cups / 375ml
- Salt & Pepper One pinch/ quarter tsp of each
- Fresh lemon Half, squeezed
What to do:
- Roll the pastry out onto a floured surface and cut out six circles of pastry from each sheet using a dough cutter. You will need twelve pastry circles to make six pies. Tops and bottoms.
- Line the baking tray with grease-proof paper and place six pastry circles onto it.
- Heat the oil in the pan and gently fry the chopped onion, adding the mushrooms once the onions have softened.
- Add the chicken to the sautéed onions and mushrooms and season generously with Chicken spice.
- When the chicken is cooked through, add the cake flour, being careful to sprinkle evenly over the mixture to avoid lumps.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour. This will thicken the liquid in the frying pan and make the gravy base for the pie.
- Next, add the milk, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to the mixture in the frying pan, stir thoroughly over low heat. The mixture will thicken.
- Using a dessert spoon, place a spoon of pie mix in the center of six pastry circles.
- The six pastry circles leftover are the lids to pies, place them on top of the pie mixture you have spooned out.
- Use a fork to press firmly around the pies’ edges and make a small hole in the top of the pie. The hole allows steam to escape from the pie preventing the pie filling from bubbling out.
- Take a pastry brush and brush the beaten egg mixture over the top of the pies.
- Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for twenty-five minutes. The pies should be golden brown.
- Leave to cool on a baking rack before eating.
Enjoy with salads as a sneaky treat-filled lunch or grab and munch on your way out the door. Either way, they are sure to be delicious.
Honestly, there are so many different variations to choose from that sometimes it can be challenging to decide what pie is best. Some of our favourites include the Pepper Steak pie, which has got to be the most mouth-watering pie on this side of the hemisphere, second only to everyone’s favourite, the chicken and mushroom pie, of course. Filled with chunks of tender, juicy steak and rich peppery gravy, it’s the perfect snack for a chilly winter’s morning.
The traditional Steak and Kidney pie is another all-time favourite. We can thank the British for this delicious morsel, but with our knack for spice blending and flavoursome cooking, we have taken this pie and ‘owned’ it for ourselves! Most butchers should be able to supply the kidney’s alongside the steak you need for the pie, should this be the next culinary miracle you whip up in the kitchen.
Using the basic ingredients listed above, you could make your own pie variations by substituting the main meat ingredients and playing around with the spice combinations. If you love pies but prefer a veggie option, try making a spinach and feta pie, they are just as delicious as the meat varieties.
Have your pie and eat it with FinGlobal
At FinGlobal, our services are the perfect combination of affordable, reliable, professional, and effective. Some might say that they get to have their cake and eat it when we assist them. Well, in this case, you can have your garage pie and eat it! But, garage pies aside, we have more recipes up our sleeve. One such recipe is the one for a seamless and hassle-free financial and tax emigration process. Need to discuss your unique situation? Get in touch with us. You can give us a call on +27 28 312 2764 or email us at info@finglobal.com today.