This Muslim Girl Bakes: Chicken Plait with Cheese Pastry.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Perfect for lunch, brunch or a mid-afternoon munch!

This chicken plait is perfect for any occasion. The star is of course, the cheese pastry. My Mother said she had a recipe for it so we tried it out before we went for Umrah.

The result was polished off in no time and deemed an absolute success. Cheese pastry sounds daunting but all you do is add grated Cheddar to a chilli mustard shortcrust pastry. The cheese melts when baked and makes the most savoury, moreish pastry ever! You've been warned.

In other news, I have really upped my Snapchat {muslimgirlbakes} game recently. I love how casual and unedited it is - hopefully, I'll be snapping away as I cook this later.

How's the weather where you guys are? Here it is rainy and super cold - I am half ill and half not. Does that ever happen to you? I'm sneezing and feeling cold but not sick enough to pull off an entire day in bed. Finally, we updated to Windows 10 today. I am finding it really weird - if any of you out there have it, please tell me it gets better?!

Chicken Pastry Pie Things, previously: Hot Water Crust Chicken Pie // Spicy Chicken Stromboli // Asparagus and Chicken Summer Pie

A Simple List of Ingredients:
For the Chicken Filling:

1. Vegetable Oil
2. Ginger Paste
3. Garlic Paste
4. Chicken Mince
5. Salt
6. Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
7. Ground Cumin
8. Ground Coriander
9. Ground Turmeric
10. Water
11. Frozen Peas

For the Cheese Pastry:

1. Plain Flour
2. Salt
3. Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
4. Mustard Powder
5. Butter
6. Cheddar Cheese
7. Water
8. An Egg Yolk

Bismillah, let's begin!

Let's begin by cooking our chicken filling because it has to be completely cool before using in the pastry. So, into a large pan over a medium flame, drizzle in a few tablespoons of Vegetable Oil.

Then, we're going to add in our ginger and garlic to get things going.

Add in 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste and 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste to the hot oil.

Let them sizzle and fry for a minute or two.

Next, throw in 1 pound Chicken Mince.

With the heat still on medium, break it up with a wooden spoon.

Stir-fry until the chicken loses its pink colour.

Like so!

Now that the chicken has been cooked for a while, it's time for the spices.

We'll be using:
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric

Add the spices to the chicken. Remember, you can adjust the spices to your own taste. And, you can also sub my spices for any other ground spices you have in the cupboard!

Stir-fry the spices for a few minutes to wake them up and let them release their flavour.

Next, pour in 200ml Water.

And, add in 120 grams Frozen Peas. Again, add any veg you like but I am definitely a pea addict!

Give everything a good stir.

And, bring to the boil!

Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook on the lowest heat for 10 minutes.

Then, uncover.

Turn the heat to medium-high and stir to dry out the excess liquid.

Until all the liquid has gone!

Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool completely before using in the plait.

While the chicken filling cools, we can make our cheese pastry. Into a large bowl, sift in 230 grams Plain Flour.

If you're feeling super lazy, feel free to skip the sifting!

Next, seasonings --> salt, crushed red chilli flakes and mustard powder. Feel free to leave the chilli and mustard out, if you wish.

We enjoy the pop of extra flavour so in goes:

Pinch of Salt

1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes

1/4 teaspoon Mustard Powder

Stir together.

Then, add in 112 grams Butter, cubed.

Rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

This is a cheese pastry so in goes 112 grams Cheddar Cheese, grated.

Stir in the cheese.

In a small bowl, beat together 75ml Water and 1 large Egg Yolk.

Pour the liquid in, a little at a time.

Begin to bring the mixture together with your hands.

Until it just begins to form a ball - you may not need all the liquid. If you find that you need more liquid, add a splash of water.

Wrap the pastry in clingfilm.

Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Guys, we recently rediscovered 5 Alive after so many years and it has changed so much! The taste is no where near to how I remember it!

Once the pastry has chilled and the filling is cool, it's time to assemble. Pre-heat the oven to 200C Fan and grease a large baking tray.

Place the pastry on a floured surface.

Start rolling until ...

... you have a rectangle measuring roughly 15x9 inch. It should be about 1/8 inch (1/2 cm) thick.

Place the filling in the centre leaving a large gap on either side.

Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut diagonal strips on either side of the filling.

Again, it doesn't have to be perfect!

Begin at the top by folding the top flap down.

Then, begin to plait the strips - one from each side each time. Make sure to press down firmly on each side.

Keep going until you get to the end.

At the bottom, fold the flap up.

And, fold over the final strips.

Alhamdulillah, we did it!

Gently move it onto the greased baking tray - if you think your tray will stick, feel free to line with paper.

To glaze the plait, beat 1 Egg.

Brush the glaze all over.

Then, bake in the preheated oven at 200C Fan for 35 minutes.

Once baked, it should be golden all over and crispy. Let it cool for a torturous 15 minutes before digging in!

Before we cut into it, let's take a look at that beautiful colour.

You can see where the cheese has melted into the pastry as it baked.

It's going to be good! Grab your favourite sauces and mint yoghurt chutney and eat!

Take your slice - this chicken plait won't last long! Enjoy!

Full Written Recipe:

Chicken Plait with Cheese Pastry.

Prep Time: About 40 minutes.

Bake Time: About 35 minutes.

Serves: About 8 people.

Ingredients

For the Chicken Filling:

Few tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Ginger Paste

1 teaspoon Garlic Paste

1 pound Chicken Mince

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

2 teaspoons Ground Coriander

½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric

200ml Water

120 grams Frozen Peas

For the Cheese Pastry:

230 grams Plain Flour

Pinch of Salt

¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes

¼ teaspoon Mustard Powder

112 grams Butter, cubed

112 grams Cheddar Cheese, grated

75ml Water

1 large Egg Yolk

For the Glaze

1 Egg, beaten

Method

First, to cook the chicken mince. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium flame. Add the ginger paste and garlic paste – fry until fragrant for a minute or two.

Add the chicken mince and break it up with a wooden spoon. Fry until all the pink colour has gone.

Next, add in the salt, crushed red chilli, ground cumin, ground coriander and ground turmeric. Fry for a few minutes to wake up all the spices.

Then, pour in the water and add the peas. Stir in and bring to the boil. Turn the heat right down and cover with a lid. Simmer on the lowest heat for 10 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked.

Once cooked, uncover the lid and turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir-fry until all the water has dried out.

Set the chicken aside to cool completely.

To make the cheese pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt, crushed red chilli and mustard powder – stir.

Add in the cubed butter – rub it in with your fingertips until everything resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated cheese.

Beat the water and egg yolk together with a fork and add it to the flour mixture, a little at a time. Bring the dough together with your hands until it forms a ball – add more of the egg yolk water as needed.

To chill the dough, wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

To assemble the plait, roll the pastry out on a floured surface – roll to a rectangle measuring about 15x9 inch.

Place the cooled chicken filling in the middle. Cut strips at the edges – see photos to understand better. Wrap the strips over each other to create the plait effect, folding the tops and bottoms at each end.

To bake the plait, place it onto a greased baking tray. Brush with the beaten egg and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C fan for 35 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and golden.

To serve, let it cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy with your favourite sauces and yoghurt chutney!

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