Trinidad Aloo Pie/Trini Potato Pie

When i was searching something new to cook from Caribbean cuisine, i landed to this blog and i got hooked to this fantastic potato pie. Though Doubles, an another Trini dish prepared with spiced chickpeas and flatbread as sandwiches are well known as street foods in Trinidad, these potato pies are also sold as another popular street food. Sold as street snack food, these potato pie have their own place in street vendors cart. Stuffed with boiled potatoes flavored with culantro leaves, cumin, chopped onions, these aloo pie are ready to munch with your favourite drink. One can finish even their lunch or dinner with two aloo pie, yes they are quite filling and delicious as well. In most of the restaurants in Trinidad, this aloo pie is filled with spiced chickpeas as per your request or else served along with mango or tamarind chutney.

This aloo pie calls for culantro leaves which is a herb native to Mexico and South America which has a strong aroma. Since its has a strong flavor, this herb is used as seasoning in many foods. Though this Culantro and cilantro looks different, their leaves are very aromatic. Since i dont get culantro here i replaced it simply with coriander leaves and this works. Am running this week's blogging marathon with Surf through Caribbean cuisine as theme, after two different dishes, my post is this ultimate Trinidad aloo pie. Give a try to these fried crispy pies, am sure you will make them often.

Dough
3cups Flour
3tsp Baking powder
Salt
Water

Potato filling:
4large Potatoes (cooked and mashed)
1 Onion (diced)
3 Garlic cloves
1/2tsp Cumin powder
1 Green chilly
Coriander leaves or Culantro leaves (if you get them)
Salt

Take the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, slowly add the water and knead everything as a soft and stiff dough.

Cover the dough and let it sit for 30minutes.

Meanwhile, take the mashed potatoes in a bowl, take the diced onions, garlic cloves, coriander leaves in a food processor, grind as coarse paste.

Add this mixture to the potatoes, minced green chilly,cumin powder and salt. Mix well, the filling is ready.

Make 6-7 balls from the dough, roll them as medium sized discs.

Drop enough potato filling in the center and bring the both edges to make half moon shaped pie.

Press the edges well, so that the filling wont comes out while frying. Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.

Heat oil for deep frying, fry the potato pie one by one in medium flame until they turns golden brown.

Serve hot or slice the aloo pie and fill with chutneys or curried channa.

Enjoy!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#81