Thai pie recipe

Thai pie is essentially Québécois tourtière pie with Thai aromatics. I came up with the idea because I wanted to make tourtière pie but did not have all of the spices required by this recipe. I did happen to have lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, and so the thai pie was born.

Ingredients

• Pie shell
  I use Tenderflake pie shells. One package contains two shells; you can use the second shell as the top crust. Homemade pie crusts are probably better but I think these are pretty good.
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or neutral cooking oil
• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 medium potatoes, white or yellow
• 3/4 cup of light beer (optional)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 cup bamboo shoots
  I used canned bamboo shoots. They are also commonly sold in sealed bags. Smaller sliced shoots are better. If your bamboo shoots are too large you might want to slice them into smaller pieces before adding to the filling.
• 1-2 tablespoons of green curry paste, depending on desired spice level (I use Aroy-D brand)
• 1 Lemongrass stalk
  Bruise it with the butt of your knife before adding. It will be removed at the end.
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves, finely minced (see below)
• 1 tablespoon of minced ginger (optional)
• Juice from half a lime (optional)

This recipe can be easily doubled in order to make more filling. The filling can be frozen for later. The ideal filling mass for the pie shell I use is about 600g.

Using kaffir lime leaves

Kaffir limes leaves are tough even after cooking, so you want to mince them as finely as you can. The best way to process kaffir lime leaves for use in this pie is:

1. Remove the tough central stem/rib by folding the leaf in half and pulling it out
2. Stack the de-stemmed leaves together
3. Roll them into a tight cylinder
4. Use a sharp knife to slice the roll into very thin ribbons (chiffonade)
5. Then mince these ribbons into tiny pieces by rocking your knife back and forth through them

Alternatively, you can bruise them with your knife and add them whole, as long as you remove them at the end. You can also omit them entirely.

The Filling

The first thing to do is start the potatoes. The potatoes add satisfying starch to the pie. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Once boiling, let them simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes and place them in cold water. When they’re cool enough to handle, peel them and mash them. While they are boiling you can start the next steps.

While your potatoes are boiling, heat your cooking oil in a pot. Add your diced onions, a pinch of salt and the lemongrass stalk. Cook until the onions are translucent (5-10 mins).

Add curry paste, garlic, minced kaffir lime leaves, and ginger if using. Cook for one minute.

Add 3/4 cup of beer if you’re using it. Alternatively, you can add some starchy potato water at this point.

Add the ground pork and beef, and bamboo shoots. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is brown, and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in the mashed potatoes. Add lime juice if using. Remove from heat.

The filling should cool almost completely before you bake your pie. When I make this in the winter I like to cool it outside (just make sure no animals will get at it). Remove the lemongrass stalk.

Baking

Fill your shell with the filling and bake according to the instructions on your pie shell box. I bake my pies at 375ºF for 50 minutes.

Optionally, you can add an egg wash to the top of your pie. Whisk an egg in a bowl and use a brush to apply the liquid egg generously to the top of the pie.

Allow the pie to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.

Notes

This recipe can take some time and might be best for a weekend afternoon, especially the first time you make it. The filling can be made in about an hour and a half but must be cooled before it is used in a pie. If you want to spread it across two days, make the filling, cool it in the fridge overnight, and then bake your pie the next day.

I like to make enough filling for 2-4 pies, separate it into 600g portions, and freeze it. Then it is easy to thaw a portion in the fridge overnight and bake a pie for dinner.