Vegan Jamaican Patties
Jamaican patties were always a favorite in our house but finding vegan ones were always a challenge. We came across a few recipes – regular, vegetarian and vegan and added, subtracted and massaged them to create our own version that came out pretty well. This recipe has now be added to our “We’ll make that again” list.
Creating the Filling
For this vegan version, lentils are going to the basis of the filling. We decided to cook the lentils in our Instant Pot but they could also be cooked on a stovetop.
We used the Pot-in-Pot method using our 6-quart Instant Pot Duo and here’s how we did it.
Combine 1 cup of lentils and 2 cups of vegetable broth in an oven-safe bowl.
Place 1 cup of water in the inner liner of the Instant Pot, place a trivet in the Instant Pot and place the bowl on top of the trivet.
Cook the lentils for 22 minutes on the Bean/Chili setting and then allow a full Natural Pressure Release. Then remove the bowl to a heatproof surface and allow the lentils to cool to room temperature.
Gather the Rest of the Ingredients
Combine the Filling Ingredients
To make the filling, combine the cooked lentils with all the other filling ingredients (see the recipe below for a complete list).
Making the Pastry
Combine the pastry ingredients – with the exception of the water – and use a pastry blender to cut in the margarine.
Cut in the margarine until the mixture looks like a coarse oatmeal.
Add the water gradually, stirring with a fork and then using your hands to create a smooth dough.
Cover the pastry and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Putting It All Together
Now it’s time to put it all together, create the pasties and cook them.
We’ll start by rolling out the pastry and cutting it into 6″ circles.
You may have noticed that we don’t have a traditional 6″ cookie cutter and have had to improvise. What we actually used was a very large tuna tin – well washed of course. 🙂
Place ¼ cup of the filling mixture on the pastry and wet the edges of the dough so it will seal better.
Fold the pastry over to make a semi-circle, press the edges together with your fingers and then use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Then poke a few tiny holes in the top of the pastry to let the steam escape during baking.
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F and bake for approximately 30 minutes until the bottom of the crust is visibly browned and the top is lightly browned.
Vegan Jamaican Patties
Ingredients
Lentils for the Filling
- 1 cup green lentils dry
- 2 cups vegetable broth preferably homemade
Additional Filling Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onnion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot finely diced
- 1 medium potato finely diced
- ¼ cup Jerk seasoning or to taste
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper freshly ground
Pastry Ingredients
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for rolling out the pastry
- 1½ cups vegan maragarine
- ¼ cup turmeric
- ¾ cup water more or less may be required
Instructions
Cooking the Lentils – in an Instant Pot or Stovetop
Cooking the Lentils in an Instant Pot (we used a 6-quart duo)
- Combine 1 cup dry green lentils and 2 cups vegetable broth in an oven-safe bowl.
- Put 1 cup of water in the inner liner of the Instant pot, place a trivet in the inner liner and place the oven-safe bowl, containing the lentils and vegetable broth, on the trivet.
- Close and lock the lid, ensuring the Pressure Valve is in the Sealing Position.
- Select the Bean/Chili mode and set the cooking time for 22 minutes.
- Once cooking time is complete, allow a full Natural Pressure Release. That means just letting the pot sit until all the pressure has released and the Float Valve has dropped on its own.
- Then, carefully remove the lid and transfer the lentils to a heatproof surface to cool completely.
Cooking the Lentils on a Stovetop
- Place the lentils and vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and allow the lentils to cool completely.
For Both Methods of Cooking the Lentils
- In both cases, the lentils should have absorbed most (or all) of the vegetable broth. Pour off any excess liquid.
Preparing the Filling
- Prepare all of the other filling ingredients.
- Combine the filling ingredients with the lentils and stir well.
- Set aside.
Preparing the Pastry
- In a large bowl, add all the pastry ingredients, with the exception of the water.
- Blend in the margarine with a pastry blender until the ingredients reach the consistency of coarse oatmeal.
- Add the water gradually, blending with a fork.
- Then, mix the ingredients with your hands until it forms a smooth dough.
- Add additional water if required.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for half an hour before rolling out.
Putting it All Together
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the chilled dough, as thin as possible.
- Using a 6-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can.
- Continue until you have created 16 – 6" circles of dough.
- Note: leftover dough can be reworked once or twice before it gets too tough to work with.
- Place approximately ¼ cup of the filling on each circle of dough
- Wet the edges of the dough with a little water. This will help the edges to seal.
- Fold over the pastry to made a semi-circle and press the edges of the dough together with your fingers.
- Then use the tines of a fork to seal the edges of the pastry.
- Create a few tiny holes in the top of the patty to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Carefully move each completed patty to a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray.
- Bake the patties for approximately 30 minutes or until visibly browned on the bottom and slightly browned on the top.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze for later use.
