Curry House Beef and Potato Pie
Slow cooked beef and potato in a thick, mild curry gravy under a golden shortcrust lid, a proper pub style pie.
Made with Curry base sauce (onion and tomato) and Shortcrust pastry. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time2 hr 40 plus cooling
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £1.80 a head
- Oven200°C (180°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over a high heat and brown the beef in two batches for 4 minutes each. Set aside.
8 min - 2
Add the onion and carrots to the pot and cook for 6 minutes. Stir in the curry powder for 1 minute.
6 min - 3
Pour in 400 ml of your ready made curry base sauce (see the base recipe) and the water. Return the beef, cover with the lid ajar and simmer very gently for 1 hour 15 minutes.
75 min - 4
Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more until just tender, then stir in the peas and salt. The filling should be thick, not runny. Cool completely, then chill for at least 1 hour.
15 min - 5
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) with a baking tray inside. Roll out your ready made shortcrust pastry (see the base recipe) and use about two thirds to line a 23 cm pie dish. Spoon in the cold filling.
- 6
Roll out the rest of the pastry, brush the rim with egg, lay over the lid and press the edges together. Trim, crimp, make a small hole in the centre and glaze with the beaten egg.
- 7
Bake on the hot tray for 40 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the filling is bubbling. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
40 min
Tips
- Chill the filling completely before it goes in the pastry. Hot filling melts the pastry and gives a soggy base.
- A thick filling is the secret. If the sauce is thin, simmer it uncovered before cooling.
- Baking on a hot tray cooks the base of the pie quickly and prevents sogginess.
- Make a few small pies in ramekins using the same method and 25 minutes in the oven.
Storing and freezing
Cool the baked pie quickly and chill within 2 hours. Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat portions at 180 degrees for 20 minutes until steaming hot in the middle. Freeze the cooked filling for up to 3 months, not the baked pie.
Questions
Can I use puff pastry for the lid?
Yes. A puff pastry lid cooks in 30 minutes at 200 degrees. Keep the base as shortcrust or use a top crust only pie.
Can I make the filling ahead?
Yes. Make it up to 2 days ahead and keep it chilled, or freeze it for 3 months. Always cool it fully before filling the pie.
Is it suitable for coeliacs?
Not as written, because the pastry contains wheat. You can use a gluten free shortcrust pastry and gluten free curry powder.
More made with curry base sauce (onion and tomato)
Beef Vindaloo (Curry House Style)
GFDFEFBeef Ularthiyathu (Kerala Dry Fried Beef with Coconut)
GFDFEFPrawn Biryani (Jhinga Biryani)
GFEFNFVegetable Rogan Josh
DFEFNFSee every dish made with curry base sauce (onion and tomato)
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.