Indian Chicken Pies

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add mushrooms, onion and Garam Masala and cook 2
minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and cook 1 minute, then stir in stock and bring to
a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes, stirring
constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chicken, corn, salt and pepper;
cool.

Sift remaining flour into a bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and cut in
margarine and lard finely until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add cold
water and mix to form a fairly firm dough. Knead gently until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375’F. (175’C.). Preheat a baking sheet. Cut off 2/3 of
pastry and cut in 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece to a 7″ circle. Line 4
(5″) fluted pie pans with removable bottoms with pastry circles, allowing
pastry to overlap top edges slightly. Press pastry well into flutes but do
not trim top edge. Cut remaining 1/3 of pastry in 4 equal pieces and roll
each piece to a 6″ circle.

Spoon cold chicken mixture into pastry-lined flan pans and smooth surfaces.
Dampen edges of pastry in pans and cover with pastry circles. Seal edges
well and trim by pressing pastry edges firmly flat blade of a knife. Make a
small hole in center of each pie. Reroll pastry trimmings and cut out
leaves to decorate pies. Brush surfaces of pies with egg, then decorate
with leaves and brush leaves with egg.

Place flan pans on preheat baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 40-45
minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is heated through. Cool
before carefully removing from pans. Garnish with tomato slices and parsley
sprigs, if desired, and serve cold.

VARIATION: Substitute Curry Powder for Garam Masala or try a mixture of
each.