Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- about 280 ml warm water
- 2 tablespoonsoil
Filling
- 600 gminced mutton or yak
- 3onions, very finely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 2green chillies, chopped
- a handful of coriander, chopped
- 1 teaspoonground cumin
- 1 teaspoonblack pepper
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 2tomatoes, finely chopped, optional
To cook
- 4 tablespoonsoil or ghee
- a heavy griddle or frying pan
To serve
- salt tea or namkeen chai
- yoghurt
- chilli sauce
Directions
- Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the two tablespoons of oil. Add the warm water in gradually. Bring it together into a soft dough. Knead it for a good eight minutes. It should be soft and slightly tacky. Wrap it and rest it for thirty minutes. An hour is better if you have the time.
- Put the minced meat in a bowl. Add the very finely chopped onions. Chop the onion as small as you possibly can. Add the garlic, chillies and coriander. Add the cumin, pepper and salt. Add the chopped tomato if you are using it.
- Mix it thoroughly with your hands. It should be well combined and slightly wet. Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each one out into a round. Aim for about twenty centimetres across. Take it down to about three millimetres. Roll all eight before you assemble. Keep them covered with a cloth. Lay one round on a floured surface. Spread filling over it in an even layer.
- Leave a clear border of two centimetres. Keep the layer thin and very even. A thick layer will not cook through. Brush the border with a little water. Lay a second round over the top. Press the two edges together firmly.
- Press out any trapped air as you go. Roll the edge over and crimp it. Press it again all round with a fork. Prick the top in a few places with a fork. Cooking them takes patience and low heat.
- Heat a heavy griddle over a medium heat. Brush the griddle with a little oil. Lay one pie on and lower the heat. Cook it for about seven minutes. Do not rush it with a high heat. Turn it carefully with a wide slice.
- Brush the top with oil as it cooks. Give it another seven minutes. Press the centre with a finger. It should not feel soft or squashy. Cut the first one open to check. The meat must be cooked right through. Return it to the pan if there is. Serving them is done hot and cut in wedges.
- Cut each pie into four or six wedges. Hot juice runs out as you cut it. Serve salt tea alongside the pie. They keep a day and reheat on a dry pan.
Technique
- Gilgit-Baltistan sits among the Karakoram mountains, and the pies were carried as trail food on the routes through them.
- The meat goes into the pie raw and cooks inside the sealed dough, which is what keeps it juicy.
Substitutions
- Minced beef or lamb stand in where yak or mutton are unavailable.
- A hot oven at 200C can be used in place of a griddle.
Variations
- Some stalls make small individual pies rather than large ones.
- A version baked in a tandoor is made in some places.
- Similar sealed meat pies are eaten across the Karakoram and the Pamirs.
History
A Gilgit-Baltistan speciality carried as trail food on Karakoram routes; now sold at Gilgit and Skardu roadside stalls.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chapshuro?
Chapshuro is a street food from Pakistan: baltistan meat pie: minced mutton or yak sealed in dough and griddled. A Gilgit-Baltistan speciality carried as trail food on Karakoram routes; now sold at Gilgit and Skardu roadside stalls.
How long does Chapshuro take to make?
Chapshuro takes 40 minutes plus resting of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 4 large pies. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Chapshuro?
Yes, within limits. Minced beef or lamb stand in where yak or mutton are unavailable. A hot oven at 200C can be used in place of a griddle.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chapshuro?
Heat a heavy griddle over a medium heat. Brush the griddle with a little oil. Lay one pie on and lower the heat. Cook it for about seven minutes. Do not rush it with a high heat. Turn it carefully with a wide slice.
