These are hand-sized baked pork pies with a flaky, layered crust built from two separate doughs — one water-based, one oil-based — wrapped around a curry-spiced ground pork and onion filling. The process takes close to four hours start to finish, but most of that is hands-off resting time, and the pies reheat beautifully. If you want a genuinely impressive savory pastry that you made from scratch, this is a solid project for a weekend afternoon.
What makes this version work
The two-dough method is the whole game here. The oil-based inner dough (cake flour plus vegetable oil, no water) stays soft and shortens the layers from the inside, while the outer water dough provides structure and holds the shape during baking. When you roll and fold them together, the oil dough creates separation between the layers the same way laminated dough does — without any butter or chilling cycles. The second thing that matters is cooking the filling completely dry before it goes into the pastry. Breadcrumbs help absorb residual moisture, but if the pork and onion mixture is still wet when you fill the pies, the bottom crust will turn soggy before it has a chance to set. Cook until there is no visible liquid pooling in the pan, then let the filling cool before you wrap it.
What can go wrong
- The two doughs tear apart during rolling. This usually means the oil dough is too warm and greasy. If it starts sliding rather than rolling, refrigerate the assembled dough log for 10 minutes before continuing.
- Filling leaks out during baking. The seal at the edges needs firm pressure — use a fork crimp rather than just pinching. Any gap will open further in the oven as steam builds inside.
- The crust is cooked on top but raw-looking on the bottom. Place the pies on a preheated baking sheet or the lowest oven rack. A cold sheet going into a hot oven is the most common cause of an underdone base.
- Ground pork is not fully cooked through. The filling must reach 160°F (71°C) before it goes into the pastry. Since the bake time is set by the crust, not the filling, you cannot rely on oven time alone to cook raw pork safely — brown it fully in the pan first.
- The layers disappear and the crust is dense. Overworking the oil dough activates gluten in the cake flour and tightens the texture. Mix it only until it just comes together — skip the extra kneading.
Make-ahead notes
The cooked filling keeps in the fridge for up to three days in a sealed container, so making it the night before cuts your active time on baking day significantly. Assembled but unbaked pies can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours — keep them covered so the outer dough doesn’t dry out and crack. Fully baked pies hold well at room temperature for the day they’re made. For longer storage, freeze baked pies in a single layer, then transfer to a bag; they keep for up to two months. Reheat from frozen in a 325°F (160°C) oven for about 20 minutes — skip the microwave, which turns the layered crust chewy. One honest shortcut: if you’re tight on time, skip the sesame seed garnish entirely. It adds almost nothing once the pie is baked and cooled, and it saves you the extra egg-wash step.
Flavourful Taiwanese Curry Meat Pie
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
4 medium yellow onion
600 grams ground pork (minced pork)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper- 1 tablespoons pork grease - you can use other oils if you like
100 grams breadcrumbs
Oily Crust Dough Ingredients
- 150 grams bread flour
- 300 grams cake flour
150 grams vegetable oil
120 grams water
2 tablespoons curry powder
Crust Dough Ingredients
- 140 grams cake flour
- 150 grams vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
Instructions
Filling Instructions
- Start by peeling your onions. I did this by cutting off the ends and peeling, but I think an easier way is to cut off the ends, cut them in half and then peel off the outside.
- Cut off the ends of the onions.
- Soak them in a bowl of water to help cut down on the fumes. This should keep you from crying as much. I still cried a lot!
- Dice the onions and set them aside.
- Heat enough pork grease at the bottom of a wok to coat it. It is important not to put too much oil in because it will become too oily after adding the minced pork.
- Add the onions, salt, and black pepper. Cover well in the grease. You have to keep it moving, but don’t worry if the bottom of the pan gets a brown spot. It will come off.
- Add the minced pork to the onions and stir. Cook until browned.
- Put your minced pork in the pan.
- If you need to add more pork grease, add it so that, as they say in Chinese, the filling will be shiny with oil and nice to look at when you are eating it.
Oily Crust Dough Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl until they are an even colour.
- Add the oil and water slowly, part by part and mix together.
- Put the dough in a plastic bag and seal. It will harden if you do not.
Crust Dough Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients together until they are an even colour.
- Add the oil slowly and mix.
- When finished, place it in a bag and clear your table. It’s time for the hard part!
- And then mix that powder in.
- Combine all the dry ingredients before adding any liquids. It’s the natural order and helps things to combine both better and faster.
Crust Combination Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
- Start by dividing both sets of your dough into sections of 3. It is an excellent idea to weigh them so that it works out almost perfectly. If you skip this step, your measurements will be off.
- Wrap the oily dough up or place in sealed plastic bags. This prevents the dough from drying out while you are working with each of the three sets.
- Take one section of oily dough and roll it out into a long even line. It will be divided into 10 pieces. Do this by splitting the dough in half and then cut a little off one end. This little bit should be 1/5 of the total. Then cut the remaining 4/5’s into half and then each half into halves. This will make 5 pieces of equal size. Repeat on the other half. If a piece is slightly bigger, try to equal them by taking a little away and giving it to a smaller piece. Try to avoid smashing it together and starting again.
- Divide the other dough into sections of 10 as well.
- Flatten one piece of oily dough, place one piece of the other dough in it, and then wrap it to encase in the oily dough. Repeat for all the other pieces.
- Take a ball of wrapped dough and roll it out in an up and downstroke. Roll up and turn lengthwise. Roll out in another up and downstroke. Roll it up. It should look like being a fat rose shape.
- Repeat for all the other pieces.
- Then flatten one rose piece out in a circle. It is essential to do this gently. You don’t want to break the outer layer of oily dough. If you break it, you will end up with an ugly product.
- Place a bit of the onion mixture in the middle and fold the circle in half.
- Stuff them good!
- Pinch close. Then starting at the right-hand side, pinch again in a gathering motion.
- Set on an ungreased baking tray. Repeat for the rest of the pieces. There should be ten when you have finished.
- Using a brush, brush on a bit of egg yolk and then sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Brush that egg yolk!
- Bake for about 10 minutes. Pull out to cool.
- Repeat all the above instructions for the remaining 2 sets of dough.
- Enjoy! Remember to refrigerate after they have cooled because there is meat in them.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ground chicken or turkey instead of ground pork?
Yes, but cook the filling to 165°F (74°C) — not 160°F — and make absolutely sure there is no pink remaining before you fill the pastry. Ground poultry also releases more water than pork, so cook it a little longer to drive off moisture, and consider adding an extra tablespoon of breadcrumbs to keep the filling from making the crust soggy.
What is cake flour and can I substitute all-purpose flour?
Cake flour has lower protein content than all-purpose, which keeps the crust tender rather than chewy. All-purpose flour will work in a pinch, but the layers will be slightly tougher and less distinct — reduce the amount by about 10% and handle the dough as little as possible to minimize gluten development.
How do I know when the pies are done baking?
Look for an even golden-brown color across the top and sides, with no pale or doughy patches visible at the seams. Because the filling is fully cooked before assembly, you are really just baking until the crust is set and colored — typically 25 to 30 minutes at 375°F (190°C), though your oven may vary.
My dough is cracking when I try to roll it — what went wrong?
Cracking usually means the dough dried out, either from too much flour on the work surface or from sitting uncovered too long. Keep both doughs in sealed bags whenever they are not being actively worked, and use only a light dusting of flour when rolling — excess flour dries the surface fast.
What to cook next
- Cumberland Sausage Mince Pie
- Anglo-Indian Curry Pie
- Golden Colombian Beef Empanadas
- Savory Pork Apple Pasties
