Vegan Steak Pie

November 13, 2020
Richard Makin
Main Dish

Updated: February 02, 2022

2 - 4 servings
0.0

Big, bold flavours topped with flaky puff pastry. This beautifully meaty pie with chunky veg and soya “steak” pieces is perfect for a Sunday centrepiece for two. Serve this vegan steak pie with a side of your fave steamed veg or with sauteed kale.

Ingredients

1 T vegan bouillon powder
1 t marmite
2 dried shiitake mushroom
200ml boiling water
50g soya chunks
2 T olive oil
4 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 t dried sage
1/4 t dried thyme
1/2 t mustard powder
2 carrots, around 150g once peeled and diced
1 medium Maris piper potato, around 200g once peeled and diced
2 T plain white flour
3 T vegan red wine
2 T dark soy sauce
200ml water
1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry
3 T soy milk or soy cream
1/2 t agave syrup

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the bouillon, marmite, shiitake mushrooms and boiling water. Stir well to make sure the bouillon and marmite are dissolved. Add the soya chunks, stir and cover with a plate or lid. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the shallots and the garlic. Fry for a few minutes or until the onions are becoming translucent before adding the bay leaves.
Drain the soya chunks but reserve the soaking water and shiitake mushrooms. Add the soya chunks to the saucepan and fry for a further few minutes. Add the dried herbs, mustard powder, carrots and potatoes. Stir well and cook for a further few minutes.
Add the plain white flour and stir to coat all the veggies and soya chunks. Add the red wine and soy sauce and stir to combine.
Remove the shiitake mushrooms from the reserved soaking water and finely chop. Add the chopped shiitakes along with the reserved soaking water to the saucepan and stir. Follow with the 200ml water. Bring back to a simmer and allow to bubble away for a further 2 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a shallow baking tray in order to allow it to cool. Leave to cool on the counter for at least 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200c/390f.
Once the mixture is cooled, transfer to a suitable pie dish (the filling should be around half a cm from the surface of the pie dish – if the dish looks too full, use a different one as you’ll find too much of the filling will escape).
Unroll the puff pastry and cut to size (you want to aim for just larger than your pie dish). Gently score the top of the puff pastry with a sharp knife in a diamond design then place over the pie dish. Use a fork to crimp the edges, trim off any excess pastry and use a sharp knife to make a small hole in the centre of the pie to allow steam to exit.
In a small bowl mix together the soy milk/cream and the agave syrup to make your “egg” wash. Brush the surface of the pie with the wash.
Place on a baking tray and place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes. Watch closely during the last 5 minutes to make sure the top of the pie doesn’t burn.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Hydrate the Soy Chunks

To make sure the soy chunks taste super meaty, we’re going to rehydrate them in a delicious broth. First combine some marmite, bouillon, and shiitake mushrooms with some boiling water. Mix well to make sure everything is dissolved then add the soy chunks and cover. Soy chunks are a great source of protein and are super low in fat.

Fry off the Onions and Garlic

I like to use shallots in this recipe as they keep their shape in the pie and have a bold aromatic flavour. I also love the depth bay leaves bring, so be sure to add these here.

Add the Soy Chunks and Veggies

When selecting a potato to use in this recipe, make sure it’s a “waxy” variety. Fluffy, floury varieties will disappear when cooked and make the filling stodgy and pasty.

vegan soy chunks and veggies for meat pie

Add the Flour and Herbs

You can definitely go rogue and use your favourite herbs here. If you have fresh herbs growing in the garden, why not use those? Rosemary and thyme would also work great in this recipe. Be sure to stir the flour into the mixture well and coat all the ingredients properly.

flour and herbs for vegan meat pie recipe

Add the Liquids

Before the flour burns, add your liquid ingredients. I use a nice vegan red wine (but not too nice obviously!) and some dark soy sauce. You’ll also be throwing in the reserved soaking broth from the soy chunks here, for extra umami!

Cool the Filling

It’s important to cool the filling properly before topping with the pastry. If heated up before baking, the pastry will begin to leak oil and won’t rise to it’s crispy puffy potential. The filling will cool quickest in a shallow baking tray.

Top with Pastry and Bake

I like to score my pastry lightly before baking, this way you get much more texture on the final baked pie. Lay the pastry over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork. Make sure you pierce a small steam hole in the centre and brush with your vegan egg wash.