Surinamese Chicken Pot Pie (Pastei)

Instructions

Cream the butter with a mixer or wooden spoon, adding the cold water a little at a time until the butter has absorbed it all. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and work them into the butter gradually. The dough is ready to roll when it does not stick to a pressed finger; if it sticks, add about 25 g more flour.

Divide the dough in half and roll out each piece. Line a buttered baking pan or foil pan with one sheet, pressing it well into the corners so the pan holds as much filling as possible.

Simmer the chicken with 100 g of the butter, some of the chopped onion, 2 to 3 bouillon cubes, the fresh pepper, bay leaf and a little allspice in about 1 to 1½ cups of water for 30 minutes. Lift out the chicken, pull the meat into small pieces and discard the bones. Stir the rest of the butter into the broth.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and soften the remaining onion. Add the shredded chicken, and after a minute add the chopped tomatoes, the peas and carrots, and the celery. Splash in a little of the broth every so often so nothing burns.

Add the chopped pickles. Once all the broth has been used and the filling tastes good, check the salt and add more if needed. Let it cool slightly, then stir in the ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce and the piccalilli.

Spoon the filling into the dough-lined pan until nicely full. Lay the sliced boiled eggs over the top, then cover with the second sheet of dough and seal the edges as well as you can.

Bake the pastei in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. A few minutes before it comes out, brush the top lightly with whisked egg for a shiny, slightly crisp finish. Store-bought puff pastry can replace the homemade dough if you are short on time.