Flaky hand pies stuffed with smoky paprika-spiced ground beef and vegetables, a Ghanaian bakery classic eaten warm as a snack or party food.
Ghanaian meat pies are a bakery and party staple, distinct from their Nigerian and other West African cousins mainly in their seasoning and slightly softer, more bread-like pastry. A simple shortcrust or semi-yeasted dough is rolled out and cut into rounds, then filled generously with a well-spiced ground beef and vegetable mixture before being folded and crimped into a half-moon shape and baked until golden. The filling is built the same way a good stew is: onion cooked down until sweet, garlic and ginger added for aromatics, then ground beef browned and seasoned with smoked paprika, thyme and a little curry powder, a seasoning combination that reflects Ghana's colonial-era British influence layered onto West African cooking. Diced carrot and potato are folded in at the end, both for texture and to stretch the filling further, a practical habit from home bakers making pies to sell in bulk. These pies are eaten warm from the oven at birthday parties, church events and school lunches across Ghana, and the crimped edge is meant to be sealed tightly enough that no filling leaks out during baking, since a good meat pie should stay intact when picked up by hand.
Serves 8
Rub cold butter into flour, baking powder and salt until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in egg and just enough cold water to form a firm dough. Chill 20 minutes.
Cook onion in a little oil until soft, then add garlic, carrot and potato and cook 5 minutes. Add ground beef and brown fully, breaking it up as it cooks.
Stir in smoked paprika, curry powder, thyme and salt to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the mixture is dry enough to hold its shape, then cool completely.
The filling must be fully cooled before assembly or it will melt the butter in the dough and make the pastry greasy.
Roll out the dough and cut into rounds. Spoon filling onto one half of each round, fold over, and crimp the edges tightly with a fork.
Brush with beaten egg and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 25 to 30 minutes until deeply golden and flaky.
Chill the dough at every stage — warm butter is the main cause of tough, greasy pastry.
Cool the filling completely before filling the pies; hot filling melts the butter and causes leaks during baking.
Crimp the edges firmly with a fork dipped in flour to get a tight seal that won't burst in the oven.
Chicken version: substitute ground or finely chopped chicken for the beef.
Spicier filling: add a finely minced scotch bonnet pepper to the beef while browning.
Mini pies: cut smaller rounds for bite-sized party pies with a shorter bake time of about 18 minutes.
Store baked pies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate up to 4 days; reheat in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 10 minutes to restore crispness rather than microwaving.
Meat pies became popular across West Africa during the colonial period, adapted from British-style hand pies but filled and spiced according to local tastes, and they remain a fixture of Ghanaian bakeries and celebrations today.
Yes — the dough keeps well wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 days, or can be frozen for a month; just let it soften slightly before rolling.
The butter probably warmed up too much while working the dough — keep everything cold, including your hands if possible, and don't overwork it.
Yes — freeze the assembled, egg-washed pies on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag; bake from frozen, adding about 10 extra minutes.
Per serving (160g / 5.6 oz) · 8 servings total
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