Hunza Pie

Silverbeet, even if you love it as I do, it can be a challenge finding new ways to eat it. Winter can also be a challenge to get plenty of fresh greens from the garden too, and silverbeet is certainly full of goodness. If you allow a patch of Silverbeet to go to seed then you are likely to always have some available. It goes well as an alternative to nettles in our Nourishing Nettle soup. as well as this tasty and filling Hunza pie.

This Hunza pie recipe is also a great way to use up some leftover rice, and is very flexible with the ingredients. Recently I went to make this dish and discovered we had no yoghurt, but did have some ricotta. This I mixed with an egg and a couple of tablespoons of milk. This worked just as well as the original recipe.

A bonus with this recipe is that you do not precook the silverbeet so there is no risk of soggy overcooked greens, and all the goodness is retained.

The original recipe for this pie came from my student days over 30 years ago now. In Palmerston North there used to be a vegetarian cafe on the square called “Sage Tearooms” , this was a very popular student hangout. The Hunza pie was one of their staple dishes.

This pie is great as a lunch for four, or try it as a main meal served with other vegetables such as carrots, and some chutney.

Hunza pie

A vegetarian staple which makes use of excess silverbeet leaves and stems. A tasty and filling winter meal. Also great for using up leftover rice.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 3/4 cup grated cheese Tasty cheese or a mix of cheddar and parmesan
• 1/2 cup Natural unsweetened yoghurt
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped or crushed
• 1-2 tsp curry powder
• 11/2 cups cooked brown rice 1 cup of uncooked rice will yield about 3 cups cooked.
• 2-3 cups Silverbeet finely chopped with stalks.
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 50 gms butter cold
• cold water
• 2 tbsp Dukkah optional
• 2 tbsp Pumpkin seeds optional

Instructions

 

• Firstly make the pastry:
• Sieve flour into a bowl. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Cut butter into small cubes, and with the tips of your fingers rub the butter into the flour till the mixture resembles the texture of coarse breadcrumbs.
• Gradually add the cold water till the mixture forms a soft dough.
• Line a greased or parchment lined pie dish with the pastry. Use fingertips to press the dough gently into the corners, and up the sides of the dish.
• To make the filling:
• Blend cheese, yoghurt, garlic, curry powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
• In a large bowl mix together the cooked rice and silverbeet,
• Blend the two mixtures together.
• Spread the filling evenly over the pastry. Sprinkle dukkah and pumpkin seeds on top, and bake at 160°c for about 45 minutes or until golden.

Keyword easy vegetarian meal