Chicken Balti Pies

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion (finely diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely diced)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp Balti curry paste
• 450 g chicken (cut into small chunks)
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 50-100 ml water
• 2 x 375g packs ready rolled puff pastry
• 2 tbsp semi skimmed milk
• 2 tsp Nigella seeds
• spray oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oil in pan over a medium heat. Add the onion to the pan along with the salt and stir for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook for a further minute

2. 2

   Add the diced chicken to the onions and cook for 2 minutes until the chicken has turned white

3. 3

   Add the chopped tomatoes and water. I add the water to the empty tomatoes tin as it helps get the last of the tomato juice from the tin

4. 4

   Leave the chicken to reduce on a medium-low heat for 15 - 20 minutes stirring occasionally. You want the sauce to become thick

5. 5

   Leave the chicken to one side to cool slightly while you prepare the pastry. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (fan assisted 190ºC non fan)

6. 6

   Unroll the pastry and cut each sheet into 8 rectangles so you have 16 rectangles

7. 7

   Add one large spoon of the chicken filling to the centre of 8 out of the 16 rectangles. Make sure you leave a small border around the outside of each rectangle

8. 8

   Brush around the edges of each of the pastry rectangles with filling with milk. Add a plain rectangle of pastry on top of each rectangle with filling. Gently press the who rectangles of pastry together. Using a fork, press the tines around the edges of the pastry to make a seal.

9. 9

   Carefully transfer the pies to baking trays sprayed with oil. Brush the tops of the pastry with milk and sprinkle with a few Nigella seeds. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown

10. 10

    Serve warm or chilled