Chinese Chicken Pies

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 25 g butter
• 1 small leek, part only, finely chopped
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 2 teaspoons gingerroot, grated
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
• 80 g ham, thickly sliced and chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 150 ml thickened cream
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 180c and grease 4 individual pie dishes.
• 2 place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. add the leek and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened.
• 3 add the mushrooms and ginger and cook for a further minute.
• 4 stir in the flour, then gradually add the stock. reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
• 5 stir in the frozen peas, cooked chicken, ham and coriander.
• 6 season with salt, pepper and five spice powder.
• 7 stir in the cream, then remove from the heat and allow to cool while you prepare the pastry.
• 8 cut each pastry sheet into 4 squares.
• 9 line each pie tin with one square, pressing well to the sides.
• 10 divide the filling among the pie cases.
• 11 brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• 12 place pie dishes on a tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed.