It's been quite a while since I made this recipe, so I've probably forgotten some of the precise preparation details. I don't remember having any issues with the recipe as written though, so hopefully it's fine as is.

I was concerned that this recipe would be lacklustre and bland. I'm used to Jamaican patties being filled with delicious spiced beef. A meatless version seemed like it might not pack much punch flavour-wise. Boy was I wrong! These were delicious! The seasonings are superb and the combination of veggies called for works really well together. Just serve them with a nice spicy, vinegar-y hot sauce and you're good to go!

Vegetarian Jamaican Patties

Slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. coconut milk
• 1/2 c. diced carrots
• 1/2 c. diced potato
• 1 c. fresh or frozen green peas
• 1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 c. shredded cabbage
• 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. ground white pepper

Pastry

• 360g all-purpose flour
• 300g whole wheat flour¹
• 4 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 1/2 c. coconut oil²
• 4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 c. ice water

Directions

Filling

1. Melt oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add onion, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, chile flakes, cayenne, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has browned (8-10 minutes).
3. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk, carrots, and potatoes and cook until tender (~10 minutes).
5. Add peas, corn, cabbage, and thyme and cook for 3 more minutes.
6. Stir in lemon juice and white pepper and season to taste with additional salt.

Pastry

1. Combine all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, turmeric, and salt.
2. Cut in coconut oil until mixture looks crumbly and sandy.
3. Stir vinegar into water.
4. Add water mixture to flour mixture 2-3 Tbsp. at a time until the dough just comes together.
5. Form into a ball, wrap tightly, and chill for at least 1 hour.
6. 1 egg, beaten (optional)

Assembly and Baking

1. Dust work surface with additional flour.
2. Roll dough out quite thin (~3mm). (It may be easiest to work with just half of it at a time.)
3. Cut out 13-15cm (~5-6") circles.
4. Spoon a couple Tbsp. of filling onto each pastry circle.
5. Fold pastry over to make a half moon shape.
6. Press with a fork to seal the edges.
7. If edges are not sealing well, try dabbing a little water onto the pastry before closing to help form a better seal.
8. If desired, brush with a little beaten egg.
9. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30-35 minutes.
10. Serve with hot sauce. (Preferably something vinegar-y and acidic.)

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¹ The recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour. I think I just used my regular (hard) whole wheat flour. This didn't seem to hurt it any. That said, if you have soft whole wheat flour handy, definitely go ahead and use it! ^Back
2 The recipe calls for chilled coconut oil. My house was cool enough the day I made this that I didn't feel the need to chill the oil first, but if you're doing this on a very hot day, you might want to measure out the oil and then stick it in the fridge for a bit to firm up. ^Back