Trinidadian Aloo Pie

My first taste of aloo Pie was from a Trinidadian roti shop on Liberty Ave in Queens.  A Trinidadian friend introduced me to it and I fell in love with it instantly.  What is aloo pie?  Aloo means potato.  Mashed seasoned potato is encased in soft dough that is deep fried to golden perfection.  Back in those days, I would stuff my aloo pie with either goat or shrimp curry.  On my last trip to Trinidad I made sure to give a try while I was there. There are lots of vendors on the streets that sell aloo pies which cost a mere $5TT which is roughly $0.75USD; not only is it filling but it’s a very cheap meal.   I had it stuffed with chick peas and served with sweet sauce, which is a sweet tamarind sauce, and it was divine.   I knew that I wanted to make these at home so I picked up a couple of cookbooks with local recipes while there so that I can make some of my favorites right at in my own kitchen.  These are fairly easy to make and are seriously good.   I served it with beef curry and a sweet tamarind sauce.  Enjoy!

Aloo Pie and Sweet Tamarind Sauce

FILLING

2 ½ cups mashed potatoes

1 tsp geera(cumin)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 pepper, seed removed and finely chopped

¾ tsp salt

½ grated onion

DOUGH

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup water

Oil  to fry

To make the filling, mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.   Next place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.  Add water and mix to form soft dough.  Cover and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.  Separate dough into 9 pieces then roll each  piece into circle about 1/8 of an inch in thickness.  Place a heaping spoonful of the potato mixture in the middle.  Dampen the edges of the dough with water and press to seal to form a half moon shape, then deep fry over medium heat until golden brown.   To serve cut a split length wise and fill top with tamarind sauce or channa channa or any type of meat curry.

Sweet Tamarind Sauce

½ cup tamarind pulp, seeds removed

1 ¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

1 clove garlic, finely minced

½ tsp salt

Pepper to taste

To make the tamarind sauce, add tamarind pulp and water to a pot and bring to a boil; make sure to break up the pulp with the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and strain then discard pulp.  Add sugar, garlic, salt and pepper and return to the heat.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat and allow to cool before serving.

Recipe adapted from Naparima Girl’s High School Cookbook

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