Ready to make some Paleo Curried Meat Pies—a.k.a. better-for-you grain-free and gluten-free hot pockets?
Longtime Nomsters know that I don’t publish a lot of paleo baking recipes—mostly because I know I’ll gobble up all my test batches with abandon. But once I’ve tasted something that I really, really, really want to make grain-free, I’ll make a rare exception to my no-baking rule. And then, I go nuts, experimenting over and over again ’til I crack the code.
One of the dishes that have gotten this treatment is my mom’s curried meat pies. When I was a kid, my mom used to bake up these buttery hand pies stuffed with a fragrant, curried ground beef filling. These portable pies were my first introduction to fusion food—flaky and savory pastries filled with Indian curry-spiced meat by way of a Chinese mommy. This type of melting pot cuisine is totally my jam.
If you’ve been checking out my Instagram Stories, you know I’ve been experimenting for weeks. Now, at long last, I think I’ve succeeded in creating a portable meat pie that’s both reminiscent of my mom’s, but also completely nut-free and grain-free. These unfussy hand pies are a breeze to throw together—especially when stuffed with leftover Spiced Keema. Sure, they’re pretty rustic looking (a.k.a. kinda ugly), but that’s part of their charm!
No leftover Spiced Keema? I’ve filled these pies with leftover Pot Sticker Stir-Fry, Instant Pot Spicy Pineapple Pork, and basically whatever leftover cooked protein I had sitting in my fridge. You can make a variety of homemade hot pockets with whatever you have on hand as long as the filling isn’t too wet. These pies freeze and reheat well, too, so you can make them ahead and stock ’em in your freezer.
P.S.—I’ll say it again: I’m no paleo baking expert, so before you ask, let me just tell you now that I have no idea what happens if you decide to substitute another flour for the cassava flour or arrowroot flour. If you successfully experiment with other flours or fats, please let us all know in the comments so we can benefit from your baking prowess!
Time to make Paleo Curried Meat Pies!
Makes 18 pies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (256 grams) cassava flour
- ½ cup (64 grams) arrowroot starch/flour
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ cup (168 grams) ghee, softened but not liquid
- 3 large eggs, divided
- ½ cup room temperature water, more if needed
- 1½ cups leftover Deconstructed Samosa (Spiced Keema)
Equipment:
- Large bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cups
- Scale (optional)
- Rolling dowel
- 4½-inch round stainless steel cutter
- Dough scraper (optional)
- Two rimmed baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Stainless steel wire rack
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400° F with the rack in the middle position. Measure out the cassava flour, arrowroot powder, kosher salt, and ground turmeric into a large bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Add the ghee and two eggs to the dry mixture.
Mix well with your hands until the dough is crumbly and the the ghee and egg are well incorporated.
Slowly add the water a little at a time, and knead well until a pliable dough forms.
If the dough feels too sticky, you can add a little more cassava flour. Conversely, if it feels too dry and crumbly, add a little more water, kneading in a few drops at a time. If the dough feels overly soft and delicate, cover it in a bowl and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes so you can work with it more easily.
Dust your work surface with cassava flour. Next, grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough so that it’s about ⅛-inch thick. The dough can be a little sticky, so feel free to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. (A dough scraper can also be very helpful in pulling the dough off the work surface.)
Use a 4½-inch round stainless steel cutter to punch out the dough rounds.
Gather up the dough outside the circle cut-outs, and use it to form another ball of dough. Roll out this dough ball to ⅛-inch thickness, and punch out more dough rounds.
Repeat until you can’t form any more rounds. You should end up with about 18 dough rounds.
Add 2 tablespoons of chilled leftover Spiced Keema…
…to each circle of dough. Fold the dough over the top and pinch the edges together with your fingers. Don’t overfill the pies or you won’t be able to seal them! Arrange the meat pies on two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, making sure they’re evenly spaced.
Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl…
…and brush the egg wash over the top of the meat pies on one (not both!) of the trays. Use a sharp paring knife to cut three slits on the top of each pie. Cover the other tray of pies with plastic wrap or a clean towel—you don’t want the pies to dry out while the other tray is in the oven.
Pop the first tray of pies (the ones with the egg wash applied) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the tray 180° and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until the tops are golden brown.
Place the pies on a wire rack to cool to room temperature (or, at the very least, to a temperature that won’t burn off the roof of your mouth).
Right before the second batch of pies goes in the oven, brush on the egg wash, and cut three slits into each pie. Bake off the remaining pies per the instructions above and…voila!
You can keep these hand pies in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4 days or freeze them for up to 4 months. They can be reheated in a toaster oven set to 350°F for about 8-10 minutes from the fridge, or 10-15 minutes straight from the freezer.
Heat ’em up and take them with you!
Now, who’s ready to make some paleo hot pockets?
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Paleo Curried Meat Pies
Ingredients
- 2 cups cassava flour
- ½ cup arrowroot powder
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ cup ghee softened
- 3 large eggs divided
- ½ cup room temperature water more if needed
- 1½ cups Deconstructed Samosa (Spiced Keema)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F with the rack in the middle position. Measure out the cassava flour, arrowroot powder, kosher salt, and ground turmeric into a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the ghee and two eggs to the dry mixture. Mix well with your hands until the dough is crumbly and the the ghee and egg are well incorporated.
- Slowly add the water a little at a time, and knead well until a pliable dough forms. If the dough feels too sticky, you can add a little more cassava flour. Conversely, if it feels too dry and crumbly, add a little more water, kneading in a few drops at a time. If the dough feels overly soft and delicate, cover it in a bowl and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes so you can work with it more easily.
- Dust the work surface with cassava flour. Next, grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough so that it’s about ⅛-inch thick. The dough can be a little sticky, so feel free to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. (A can also be very helpful in pulling the dough off the work surface.)
- Use a 4½-inch round stainless steel cutter to punch out the dough rounds.
- Gather up the dough outside the circle cut-outs, and use it to form another ball of dough. Roll out this dough ball to ⅛-inch thickness, and punch out more dough rounds. Repeat until you can’t form any more rounds. You should end up with about 18 dough rounds.
- Add 2 tablespoons of chilled leftover Spiced Keema to each circle of dough. Fold the dough over the top and pinch the edges together with your fingers. Don’t overfill the pies or you won’t be able to seal them! Arrange the meat pies on two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, making sure they’re evenly spaced.
- Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the egg wash over the top of the meat pies on one (not both!) of the trays. Use a sharp paring knife to cut three slits on the top of each pie. Cover the other tray of pies with plastic wrap or a clean towel—you don’t want the pies to dry out while the other tray is in the oven.
- Pop the first tray of pies (the ones with the egg wash applied) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the tray 180° and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until the tops are golden brown.
- Place the pies on a wire rack to cool to room temperature (or, at the very least, to a temperature that won’t burn off the roof of your mouth).
- Right before the second batch of pies goes in the oven, brush on the egg wash, and cut three slits into each pie. Bake off the remaining pies per the instructions above and…voila!
- You can keep these hand pies in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4 days or freeze them for up to 4 months. They can be reheated in a toaster oven set to 350°F for about 8-10 minutes from the fridge, or 10-15 minutes straight from the freezer.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are very similar to Guyanese beef patties. Guyana has a large East Indian, Black and Chinese population as do many Caribbean nations and many dishes incorporate aspects from these cultures. I’m Afro-Guyanese and grew up eating curry & roti, chow mein, and peas and rice. I’ll have to try this and let you know how it compares!
Hi Michelle!
I’ve made many of your recipes and love them all! I was very excited to make this, and followed the recipe exactly, but had to end up throwing away the dough. No matter what I did, it just wouldn’t come together.
Not sure if it makes a difference, but I thought I’d mention that I’m also in a humid climate. Noticed another person from a humid climate had the same issue.
Thanks!
Are you using Otto’s Cassava flour? I don’t live in a humid area, so I can’t test if that’s the culprit.
Hi, first I want to say thank you for all of your recipes (and I own your books!!). Pretty much everything is a hit in our house with the hubby and my 4 young children! I’m wondering, after baking is the “pastry” supposed to be somewhat soft or completely hard and crispy? I was hoping for a Jamaican like Beef patty, but my results yielded a Very crisp texture. Xoxo, Liz in Brooklyn
It should have pastry crumb that holds it’s shape but tastes buttery and tender. It shouldn’t be super hard and crispy—did you add enough ghee?
Going to make this tonight! Can you use raw pork inside and bake in the oven? Similar to a sausage roll?
I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would work as long as you make sure the filling is fully cooked at the end.
Hi! Quick 2 questions!
I have cup4cup gluten free flour, which is rice based, (and not paleo obviously). Will that work do you think? Or will consistency be off?
Also, do these do well in the freezer? Like can I make ahead and freeze?
I haven’t tried it with cup4cup so I don’t know how they will turn out. You can definitely freeze the cooked pies! I have some in my freezer as I type this reply!
I couldn’t find cassova flour, so I made this with tapioca flour and a little almond flour. It turned out great!
I made this several times. The flavor is good. But each time the dough would disintegrate when I tried filling it. Do I need to use the whole 1/2 cup of water? (Most times I just used 1/4 cup of the water). Can’t figure out what I did wrong. I measured everything to the tee, and used everything except for the water.
It might be too dry if the dough is falling apart. Did you measure the amounts of flour by weight on a scale?
Hi Michelle, thanks for the prompt reply.
Yes. I weighed the cassava flour and the arrowroot starch as well as the ghee in grams with my kitchen scale.
Every time it comes together with just 1/4 cup of water, so I don’t use the rest. And every single time it breaks. Yesterday I tried using the whole 1/2 cup of water, and it got really runny. I ended up having to refrigerate the dough and add extra cassava flour on top.
I must say that I live in a very humid location. My sweat was literally dripping from my forehead (not into the dough though) while I was working in the kitchen. So not sure if that plays a role.
The dough is crumbly and kind of delicate, but you should be able to patch it together and the final pies should bake up okay. I’ve found that the dough goes from dry to too wet really quickly, so add the water a few teaspoons at a time near the end. I don’t live in a humid environment so I’m not sure if that is a factor.
I don’t know what I did wrong either. My cooked samosa was super dry and hard as well. I used all of the water because it was so crumbly and fell apart when trying to fold it over. I refrigerated it hoping it would be more pliable. Tasted good when I added it like a crouton to my leftover spiced keema, but would have loved to eat as a pocket.
Oh no! I wouldn’t refrigerate it too much because it makes the dough dry and crumbly.The amount of water is key, just knead in a little at a time until it reaches the right pliability.
could I use softened Amish butter instead of the Ghee
It should work!
So crumbly that I could only get 13 circles — any thinner and they wouldn’t hold together. Might have been user error: didn’t have ghee, so I used softened kerrygold butter. They tasted good, but I think they’d be better with a thinner crust. Will have to try em again when it’s not raining – maybe the humidity was the issue.
Unfortunately my milk protein allergy includes ghee. Is there a substitute I can use for it?
You can probably use lard or coconut oil.
This is probably hands-down my favorite and most used recipe. I make these pies often for when I’m traveling or out adventuring for the day in place of a sandwich. I often change up the filling but I LOVE this recipe! Thank You so much!