This was a family favourite of ours.Nan would make for us to have fresh for our evening meal. Serves well with mash, boiled veg and lots of gravy left made from some of the cooking juices. Or if you prefer a cold snack a slice of pudding with salad is tasty.
Ingredients
- 1 mix of Click Here Steak & Kidney Mix.
- 1 mix of Click Here – Suet Pasty Mix.
- Gravy thickening flour. I use Bisto gravy browning powder. Corn flour works equally well. Add about 3tsp to a small cup. Mix with enough water to make a very thick paste.
- 1 egg, broken into a cup and mixed until the yolk and white combine.
Method
- Select your pudding bowl this recipe makes 2 x 500g or 1kg.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge. Divide the mix into 2 parts, 1 being about a 1/4 the size of the other. If making 2 off 500g then its 4 parts etc.
- Sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface, this stops the pastry from sticking to the surface whilst rolling it
- Using a rolling pin or if you do not have one, I have used a heavy bottle such as a wine bottle. Roll the larger of the pastry pieces, regularly turning over and give it a twist until the pastry is the correct size and thickness to form a base and come up the sides of your pudding bowl(s).
- Wipe the pudding bowl(s) insides with a small piece of butter / other fat, on some towel, greaseproof paper etc. This is to stop the pudding from sticking to the bowl(s).
- Place the rolled out pastry over the a pudding bowl and work it into the bowl. Helping the base touch the base of the bowl and working the pastry up the sides of the tin up to its top edge. Repeat for each bowl.
- Now fill the pudding bowl(s) with the filling. I use a slotted spoon to make sure it is mostly the meat with only a little of the cooking juices.
- Roll out the smaller piece(s) of pastry until it is the correct size to form a lid.
- Before lifting the lid on brush a little egg wash around the pastry edge both the pastry in the bowl(s) and the lid just made. The egg acts as a a glue to keep things together.
- Place the lid on top of the pie and press using a finger tip all around the edge to help the lid stick to the pie.
- Trim the edges to form a neat edge to the pie. This is easy, run the back edge of a knife around following the edge of the pudding bowl.
- Brush the lid with some egg wash. This stops it sticking during steaming
- Pre heat a steamer either a dedicated device or a large pot with a steaming tray which fits inside and does not touch the water. It must also have a well fitting lid.
- Cover the tops of the puddings with butter / fat covered baking or greaseproof paper. This helps to keep the top moist during cooking.
- Cover the top of the bowls with foil and tie some string tightly around the bowl(s). An elastic band may be used.
- Note in times gone past a clean linen cloth would be used and string tied to seal it and make a handle to help lift the pudding when it’s hot.
- Steam after 20 mins if needed add a little more water.
THE STEAMER MUST NOT BOIL DRY. - Total cooking varies on size of bowl. For 500g its about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. For a 1kg its about 3 hours.
- To test when its done use a skewer or small knife and put through the top. The knife / skewer should be clean and not have wet pastry sticking to it. Its the same method you use when testing cakes.
- Warm up the cooking juices and mix in the gravy paste made earlier. Stir slowly until the gravy reaches a simmer.
- When its cooked, remove the pudding(s) from the steamer.
- Remove the foil and greased paper coverings and allow to cool a little before tipping it out of the pudding bowl on to a plate ready for serving.