Pie Tee (Top Hats) made from scratch

Pie Tee (Top Hats)

Happy Meatless Monday everyone!

For today's recipe, I thought I would share a recipe for Pie Tee. This is a rather traditional Nonya dish and is basically mini pastry tart shells that are deep fried then filled with a combination of thinly sliced vegetables and topped off with a dollop of chilli sauce. These mini little savouries make wonderful appetisers. A word of caution, it is a little labour intensive to make the tart shells however the end result will make it worth your while. 

Recipe for Top Hats (Pie Tee)
Prep Time 80 minutes / Cooking Time 60 minutes / Serves 6
You will need at least 2 Pie Tee moulds

Batter For Tart Shells
180gm Rice Flour
50gm Cornflour
50gm Plain Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
1 Egg
300ml Water
500ml (or just enough oil for deep frying)

For Pie Tee Filling
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
300gm Yambean (finely grated)
1 small Carrot (finely grated)
1/2 tsp Salt
100gm French Beans (sliced thinly)

Chilli Sauce
3 Fresh Red Chillies
2 cloves Garlic
120ml Water
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp White Vinegar

Optional - Chopped Coriander for garnishing.

Method

1. To make the Tart Shells, sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack in the egg. Add in the water a bit at a time, stirring as you go to get a smooth batter. Let it stand for an hour before you use it.

2. Heat the oil in a deep pot or wok. Heat should be low to prevent the Tart Shells from burning when you deep fry them. Once the oil is hot, dip the Pie Tee Mould into the oil to heat the mould up. Next, dip the mould into the batter until 2/3 of the mould is covered. Immediately dip the mould into the oil and deep fry until golden bown.

3. Gently remove the Tart Shells from the moulds and drain on paper towels. The Tart Shells can be kept in air-tight containers and they should keep well for a week. You can always re-heat the Tart Shells in a heated oven to make them regain their crunch.

4. To cook the Filling, heat oil in a wok and sauté the diced garlic. Add the grated Yambean and Carrot and continue to sauté well for about a minute. Season with salt and add in the water. Cook well until the water has absorbed before adding in the French Beans. Mix the ingredients evenly and stir fry until the French Beans are cooked.

5. Remove from wok and leave to cool before filling into the Tart Shells.

6. For the Chilli Sauce, add the Chillies, Garlic and water into a blender and blend until fine. Seasons with Salt, Sugar and Vinegar. Dollop a bit onto each Pie Tee before serving. You can also garnish the Pie Tee with some coriander if you like.