Use a ready-roasted chicken or a cooked “soy chicken” to fill these small chicken pies, and serve warm from the oven with drinks, or allow two each as a starter.

Ingredients
Makes 12. Takes 70 mins plus soaking.

6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 small cooked chicken
500g packet frozen puff pastry
4 shallots, or 1 small onion
2tbsp peanut oil
1tbsp plain flour
225ml chicken stock
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1tbsp hoi sin or plum sauce
2tbsp chopped coriander
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1tbsp milk
Coriander for serving

Heat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Shred the meat from the chicken and finely chop. Thaw the pastry.

Finely chop the shallots. Drain the mushrooms, trim off the stalks and finely slice.

Heat the oil and cook the shallots gently until soft. Sprinkle with flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes, then gradually add the chicken stock, stirring. Add mushrooms and sauces and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the chicken and coriander, and leave to cool.

Roll out the pastry and cut into 12cm squares. Plop one tablespoon of the mixture on a square, top with another square and press down around the filling. Place a large glass over the top, and trim into a circle. Repeat until all pies are made. Brush with egg yolk, cut a small slash in the top, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Arrange on a serving plate, tuck in some coriander leaves and serve.

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