These Paleo Filipino Menudo mini meat pies are made with a cassava flour crust and filled with a juicy Chicken Stew, it will fill you up but not bring you down.
Menudo is a Stew not the 80's Boy Band
No matter what when I hear *Menudo" I think of Ricky Martin and the boy band before New Kids on the Block. Was Menudo popular here in America too?? Anyone else in their 40's who can attest? They were super extra popular in the Philippines in the late 80's.
Anyway apart from being a name of a Puerto Rican Boy Band it's also a name of a stew in the Philippines. In our family version we make it with chicken, diced bell peppers and potatoes cooked in a soy sauce, tomato and lemon sauce. There is also a Mexican version of Menudo, which is quite different from this.
Paleo Filipino Menudo Meat Pie
I the stew in to a mini meat pie, to pay homage to my Aussie fam and the fact that I lived there for 11 years!! A meat pie is as Aussie as you can get. You can read up on the most famous food trucks in Sydney to find out what the fuss is all about.
To make it paleo used cassava flour that made the crust oh so tender.
These are perfect to put in a lunch box with a side of salad. Just heat it up in whatever you have access too in the office.
Ingredients for Paleo Filipino Menudo
It's actually pretty easy to make Paleo Filipino Menudo and requires a very minimal ingredient list. All you need is the following:
- A protein - I really like using chicken thighs to make it as it gets softer and softer as it stews in the sauce.
- Fresh Tomato
- Kalamansi Juice if you can find it. Lemon juice is a great stand in.
- Coconut Aminos
- Potato
- Bell Pepper
Really that is it!
How To Make Paleo Filipino Menudo Meat Pie
First you cook the chicken with the tomato, lemon juice and coconut aminos. My mom likes to fry up the potatoes and bell peppers separately so that they have a slightly crispy texture and doesn't get all mushy when you simmer down the stew.
It then gets all mixed together to create this lovely meal. You can eat this already with some cauliflower rice. So good.
Cassava flour Pie Crust
One of my great finds this year was cassava flour. This pie crust recipe is almost identical to my vegan pie crust (which you can use for this recipe as well if you don't need a paleo version). You throw all the ingredients into the food processor and have a nice flaky dough.
This dough does get a little flakey as you press it into the pie tin. But it does come together when you pinch it together.
Once you have each pie tin lined fill with the Paleo Filipino Menudo. Then cover with a layer of dough crimping the edges with a fork to seal the filling in.
Using the same fork poke some steam holes so that the crust does not bust open during baking.
Once you have the Paleo Filipino Menudo pies all formed you can either bake them right away, leave in the refrigerator overnight or even freeze over a couple of days.
Just before baking spread some egg wash on the crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden and the Paleo Filipino Menudo starts to bubble out of the holes. Leave to cool for a little bit serve with some hot sauce on the top.
How to Store
If you have some leftover Paleo Filipino Menudo Meat Pies wrap them up individually in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To heat them up again set the oven to 350F and heat for 12 minutes.
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Equipment
- 8 Mini Pie Tins (about 2-3 inches)
Ingredients
Menudo Filling
- 1 Boneless Chicken Thigh Cut into small 1 cm cubes
- ½ Cup Diced Potato
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos
- 1 Tablespoon Calamansi Juice
- Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Diced Bell Pepper
- 1 Diced Medium Sized Tomato
- Salt
- Pepper
Cassava Flour Crust
- 2 ½ Cup Cassava Flour
- 8 oz Vegan Butter Cut into small cubes
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 6 Tablespoons Ice Water
Egg Wash
- 1 Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Water
Instructions
- Cook Potatoes. Drizzle the cubed potatoes with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat up a small pan on medium-high heat and pan fry the potatoes until they are golden brown. About 8 Minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook Bell Peppers. Drizzle the cubed bell peppers with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat up a small pan medium and lightlyfry the bell peppers for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Make Menudo. In the same pan drizzle some olive oil and turn on the stove to medium-high heat. Add in the chicken, coconut aminos and calamansi juice. Cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is golden brown. Add the cooked potatoes and bell peppers and cook for a further 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool down.
- Make Cassava Crust. In a food processor place the flour and salt mix for a few seconds to combine. Then add in all the butter and mix until the dough starts to form pebbles. Add in the water a tablespoon at a time and pulse in between each tablespoon. Once you see the dough start sticking together and start forming a dough stop adding water and take out the dough and form it into 2 disks and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until you are ready to roll it out.
- Prep. Pre-heat oven to 350F and spray 8 mini pie tins with cooking spray.
- Form Pies.Take out one of the disks and roll it out nice and flat and even. Use your pie tins as a template and cut out pie dough for each. Press into each pie tin and fill with menudo.
- Egg Wash. Mix the egg and water together until combined.
- Top Crust. Take the second disk and roll it out the same thickness and cut out tops for the pie. Brush the edges of the bottom pie with egg wash and place the crust on top. Use a fork to crimp the edges all the way around and poke the top with holes.
- Bake. Place the pies on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until golden.
- Serve. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and un-mold and serve rightaway.
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