Chicken Pie (Traditional South African Style)
Aperçu
South African chicken pie is distinguished from every other chicken pie in the world by one ingredient: sago. The pearls of tapioca are soaked and cooked into the sauce, where they turn translucent and give the filling a texture that is moist and slightly gelatinous without being wet. No other pie tradition does this, and South Africans who grew up with it can identify its absence immediately. The spicing is the other marker. Nutmeg and cloves in a savoury chicken filling reads as unusual to most palates and is entirely standard here, reflecting the Cape spice traditions that run through South African cooking. Lemon juice cuts it, and thyme and rosemary sit underneath. The source for this recipe is firm that the nutmeg and clove are non negotiable. It is festive food and family food. Chicken pie appears at Christmas, at Sunday lunches and at the potluck gatherings where South Africans bring a dish, and it is served hot rather than cold. Ham is scattered through the filling and slices of hard cooked egg are tucked in, which gives the cut pie its pink and yellow flecks against the white chicken. Yellow rice, roast potatoes, green beans and a tomato salad are the conventional accompaniments.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
South African chicken pie is distinguished by the use of sago, the starch pearls of the sago palm, as its thickener, and by nutmeg and clove in a savoury filling. Both reflect the spice and ingredient trade routes of the Cape, through which the Dutch East India Company connected southern Africa to Southeast Asia from the 17th century.
Ingrédients
Préparation
- 1
Defrost the pastry in the fridge or at room temperature, keeping it cool.
- 2
Put the water into a large pot, then add the whole chicken with any excess fat removed. Add the giblets if available.
- 3
Sprinkle over the stock granules, using the powder itself rather than a made up stock.
- 4
Cover, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and boil gently until the chicken is almost tender, about 45 minutes.
- 5
Soak the sago granules in a little warm water, then stir them into the liquid around the chicken.
- 6
Simmer covered until the chicken almost falls from the bones and the sago has turned into translucent pearls.
- 7
Take the chicken out and leave it to cool. Leave the sauce in the pot and scrape the base to loosen anything stuck.
- 8
Once cool, take all the bones out of the chicken and cut the meat into bite sized pieces, using all the meat and skin. Remove every small bone carefully.
- 9
With a slotted spoon, remove any remaining meat from the sauce and add it to the chicken, discarding bones.
- 10
Whisk the flour into the sauce until smooth. Add all the flavourings and taste, adjusting to your preference. Be careful with salt, since stock powders vary.
- 11
Beat the two eggs and add them to the sauce.
- 12
Return the chopped chicken to the pot and stir through.
- 13
Set the oven to 220°C.
- 14
Roll the pastry out on a floured board to fit the top of your dish.
- 15
Scrape the chicken and sauce into an oven dish. Scatter the sliced ham over the top. The filling should come to within 3cm of the rim.
- 16
Brush the edges of the dish with beaten egg, then lay the pastry over loosely without stretching it, since it will shrink. Press the edges and trim the excess.
- 17
Brush the pastry with beaten egg and put into the hot oven. After 15 minutes turn the heat down to 180°C and bake for about 1 hour, until the pastry is puffed and golden and the filling is sizzling.
Notes de l’Africook
- Sago is what makes this a South African chicken pie. Soak it before it goes in and cook it until the pearls are translucent, which is when it has done its thickening work.
- Do not use breast meat alone. The brown meat carries far more flavour and the skin and bones are what give the sauce its body.
- Nutmeg and clove are not optional. They are the spices that identify the dish, and a version without them is simply a chicken pie.
- Lay the pastry on with some slack rather than stretching it taut. Pastry shrinks in the oven and a stretched lid pulls away from the edges.
- Serve it hot. This is not a pie to be eaten cold, and South Africans are clear on that point.
Questions fréquentes
What is sago and why is it in a chicken pie?
Sago is a starch extracted from the pith of the sago palm and sold as small pearls, similar in appearance to tapioca. Soaked and cooked into the sauce, it turns translucent and gives the filling a moist, slightly gelatinous texture without making it watery. It is the ingredient that distinguishes South African chicken pie from every other version.
Can I use tapioca instead of sago?
Yes. The two are closely related in behaviour, and small pearl tapioca gives essentially the same result. Soak it first as you would sago. What you should not use is a powdered starch such as cornflour, which thickens the sauce but gives none of the distinctive texture the pearls provide.
What pastry should I use?
Puff or flaky pastry, and the source recommends a cream pastry if you make your own. Shop bought puff pastry is entirely acceptable and is what most people use. Whichever you choose, keep it cold until the moment it goes onto the pie, and do not stretch it over the dish.
What is South African chicken pie served with?
Yellow rice, the turmeric coloured rice with raisins that appears alongside a great deal of South African cooking, or roast potatoes. Steamed green beans and a tomato salad complete the plate. It is served hot, at Christmas, Sunday lunches and potluck gatherings.
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using sago to thicken pie filling is new to me o! usually we just use flour butter roux for meat pie in lagos. boiling the whole chicken with the cloves and nutmeg made the whole house smell like Christmas. I used a 2kg chicken since that was what I bought at the market. my family cleared the whole dish in one sitting sha.
Had to run down to Khan's on Rye Lane to get sago granules because Tesco didnt have any in stock. The fresh lemon juice and nutmeg balance the fat from the chicken broth so well. Boiling the chicken whole for 45 mins gave such a rich stock. My South African colleague said it tasted just like the ones back home.
my sago took almost 15 minutes to soften properly in warm water before i stirred it into the chicken liquid abeg. 1.5 teaspoons of nutmeg felt a bit strong at first bite, so next time i will reduce it to 1 tsp. still very tasty filling overall, the chicken came out so tender.