Minced Meat Minions

Meat pies, hand-sized pies filled with steamy and savory minced meat and gravy, are iconic in Australia, and having grown up in Sydney for eight years, I too ate my fare share of them. Traditionally they are made of beef (which I didn’t know at the time and found out one too many mince meat pies later)…
…so to clear my Hindu conscience, I decided to make my own mini version with chicken. Perfect as an appetizer or snack.

What you need:

1. 1/2 lb minced chicken (can substitute lamb, beef or soy protein)
2. 1 small onion, finely chopped
3. 1 tomato, finely chopped
4. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
5. Masala - 2 1/2 tbsp (to make your own mix/grind together equal amounts of garam masala, coriander powder, red chili powder, pepper, cumin powder and 1/2 tsp clove powder - put in an airtight container and you’re good to go!)
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt - to taste
8. Chillies (I prefer fresh jalapenos) - 2, finely chopped
9. Lime - 1 sliced into thin circles
10. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped
11. 12 mini puff pastry shells (or cut 2-inch circles of sheet puff pastry)
12. Non-stick mini muffin tray

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
3. Add mustard seeds. When they start sputtering, add ginger-garlic paste, onion and chillies and fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the masala powder and salt.
5. Once the oil start to separate, add the chicken and fluff with a fork.
6. Once the chicken is browned, add the tomatoes and turn down the heat.
7. Cover the pan, add a little water and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
8. Taste the curry to make sure it has enough salt/spices to your liking.
9. Put the puff pastry shells in the muffin try and heat them up for 5 minutes until they are brown.
10. Fill each shells spoonfuls of the cooled kheema curry.
11. Bake for 5 minutes or until the pastries are puffed and golden brown.
12. Allow to cool and garnish with the chopped coriander and a slice of lime.