Semolina Suet Pastry

Semolina Suet Pastry is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe from the 1860s for a classic flaky-style pastry made from a yeasted blend of fine semolina and suet. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Anglo-Indian version of: Semolina Suet Pastry.

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

15 minutes

Total Time:

25 minutes

Additional Time:

(+20 minutes soaking)

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Fusion Recipes British Recipes

This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe redacted from the volume THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK: A Practical Handbook to The Kitchen in India (author unknown), published by: WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET CALCUTTA circa 1869. The recipe comes at the end of the section on PORTUGUESE CURRY (VINDALOO OR BINDALOO), so this is a Vindaloo curry paste or a curry paste from Goa.

Original Recipe

219.—Tart and Pie Crusts of Soojee

To one seer and a quarter of soojee add half a seer of suet and a tspful of salt. Thoroughly
clean the suet, remove all the skin and other objectionable particles, chop, mince, and pound fine in
a mortar. Damp the soojee for half an hour before kneading it, then knead it with the suet and a little
of the yeast, recipe No. 283; divide it into parts, dredge it with flour, and roll in layers; repeat the
operation two or three times, and the pastry when baked will be light and flaky. Half a seer of flour
will be required for dredging and rolling.

Modern Redaction

This is an interesting recipe; essentially a flaky pastry made from a yeasted semolina and suet dough. I've not really seen the like before, so I had to give it a go.

As you can buy suet already prepared (and vegetarian) there is no need to prepare suet any more. Though I have done that in South Africa, where commercial suet was hard to source.

Ingredients:

670g fine semolina
270g suet
1 tsp active, dried, yeast
(plus flour for dusting)

Method:

Place the semolina in a bowl and add 8 tbsp water. Mix to combine then set aside to soak for 20 minutes.

Mix together the soaked semolina, suet and yeast. Stir with a fork to combine then add enough water to bring everything together as a soft dough.

Divide the dough into four pieces, roll each one on a floured work surface into a 25cm (10 in) round (dust the tops of the dough and the rolling pin before rolling). Stack the rounds then roll lightly. Form into a ball then divide into four portions.

Repeat the rolling and layering process four more times.

You will have enough pastry for two medium-sized pies.

Find more Victorian Recipes Here and more Curry Recipes Here. For the original version of The Indian Cookery book see my The Indian Cookery Book main page.