Sweet Kumara Pie
Next year (2022) Matariki is to become a public holiday for New Zealand. Over the past few years, I've been learning about Matariki via my kids and celebrating with them and their school. This year we created this Pae Kūmara (Sweet Kūmara Pie) for the occasion; because for me, these sorts of celebrations involve food and the whānau dinner table.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's delicious
- It's perfect for making and sharing with whānau
- Decorated with stars for the Te Iwa O Matariki
Matariki
I am a non-religious Pākeha living in Aotearoa. This means many of the significant holidays we celebrate: Easter and Christmas for example don't resonate hugely with me. Over the past few years learning a little about Matariki and celebrating it in my community and with my children at their school, to me, it just makes me feels good. I love that it brings my childrens' school together, I love that I can look up and see Te Iwa O Matariki (The Nine Stars Of Matariki) in the night sky. I love that it's a reason for my whānau (family) to sit down together, share a meal and look forward to the year ahead.
I am the absolute first to admit, that I am learning about Matariki, its history, its significance, and its meaning. I have been learning through my children (which I love to do) and learning through the public posts Professor Rangi Matamua makes on both his Living by the Stars Facebook page and Living by the Stars YouTube channel.
For example, I created this image with the help of my kids to depict the Matariki Constellation,(7 Stars) they knew the names of the stars based on a song they learned at school. A song that I've heard sung each year on repeat during Matariki for the past few years, and a song I based an earlier Matariki-inspired recipe I've shared before Galaxy Iced Cookies.
Since researching a little more, and being updated by my kids who have also learned more about Matariki at school I now know to look for Te Iwa O Matariki (The Nine Stars of Matariki) in the night sky and not the seven I had earlier thought. Unfortunately, the tāte (tart) and the stars have been gobbled up, so I used a graphics program to update my picture.
I hope to learn more each year that we Mānawatia a Matariki- Celebrate Matariki.
Ingredients you will need
To make this Pae Kūmara, you will of course need kūmara and pōha (pastry). I bake the kūmara with marahihi mapere (maple syrup), pata (butter) and rau kinkini (spices) natimeke (nutmeg) tinitia (ginger) and hinamona (cinnamon). The filling is finished off with kirīmi (cream), hēki (eggs) and huka hāura (brown sugar). My secret ingredient to this tāte (tart) is a crumb made from pihikete tinitia (ginger biscuits) and aramona (almonds).
I used the Māori Dictionary to translate the ingredients from English to Te Reo Māori, If you haven't seen it, it is a great resource, you can download it as an app on your phone, it is very useful for correct pronunciation as you can listen to the pronunciation of each word in Te Reo Māori.
I would like to say a huge thank you to Naomi of @Whānaukai because if you know about learning languages and dictionaries, even with the best dictionary it can be tricky to know what you just don't know. Naomi proofread for me, offered suggestions, and explained where I had gone wrong. I am very grateful for her time, patience, and willingness to help me with Te Reo Māori, Tena Koe Naomi.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Pōhe: (pastry) I used 2 sheets of store-bought sweet short pastry
- Kūmara (sweet potato) I have tested this recipe with gold and orange Kūmara, these varieties are less starchy than purple/red-skinned kūmara.
This post was made possible by Countdown Supermarkets. Countdown stocks local produce perfect for creating a meal for your whānau, to come together, look forward to the next year and celebrate Matariki.
Step by step instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Pae Kūmara (sweet potato pie), if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below. Or Check out the quick recipe video if you would prefer to watch rather than read
Step one: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius
Step two: Line your pie dish with the (pōha) sweet short pastry, refrigerate the lined dish for 60 mins. Use any pastry cut-offs to cut out star shapes. These will be used to decorate the pae (pie).
Step three: Peel and chop the kūmara into 3 cm pieces, spread out on a baking paper-lined roasting tray.
Step four: Sprinkle the kūmara with the rau kikini (spices) (natimeke, tinitia, hinamona), spread the diced pata (butter) around the pieces of kūmara, and drizzle the kūmara with the marahihi mapere (maple syrup).
Step five: Cover the roasting tray with tin foil, bake for 30 mins until the kūmara is soft, the maple syrup and butter will form a caramel on the base of the lined tray.
Step six: While the kūmara is roasting, blitz the aramona (almonds) and pihikete tinitia (gingernut biscuits) in a food processor to form a fine crumb
Step seven: Remove the baked kūmara from the oven, and allow to cool on the bench
Step eight: Take the chilled pastry case, gently press a layer of the gingernut and almond crumb into the base of the pastry (you will use around ½ crumb, reserve the rest to go on the top of the cooked pie. Blind bake the pastry case for 10 minutes at 200 degrees celsius. You can bake the stars at the same time.
Step nine: Purée the cooled kūmara, be sure to scrape all the yummy sweet bits from the baking paper into the purée. If you need a little extra liquid for your blended to create a smooth purée, use a little of the 250 ml kirīmi (cream).
Step ten: In a large bowl, whisk the hēki (eggs), (kirīmi) cream, iho hūperei (vanilla essence), and huka hāura (brown sugar).
Step eleven: Stir the kūmara purée through the egg mixture, until you have a smooth consistent pie filling.
Step twelve: Pour the kūmara filling into the blind-baked pastry in your pie dish. Reduce the temperature of your oven to 160 degrees Celsius and bake the pie for 45-50 mins, until the filling is firm.
Step thirteen: Cool
(Tip): To release the pastry from the pie dish, fill your sink with warm water. Dip the pie dish into the water (being careful to not let any water into the actual pie.) This will stop the pie from sticking when you remove pieces.
Step fourteen: Decorate the pie, sprinkle a ring of the gingernut almond crumb around the edge of the pie filling. Press the stars around the edge of the pie.
Top Tips
- Here is how you can make this recipe perfectly every time!
- This pie tastes best the day after it is baked. Prepare your pie, refrigerate it overnight, Pop it on the bench around 1-2 hours before you plan to serve it so that it comes up to temperature.
- I think this Sweet Kūmara Pie is best served with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, my kids however think everything tastes better with ice cream
FAQs
No, there is no need to. Greasing your pie dish will actually affect the texture of your pastry.
To release the pastry from you pie dish once pie has cooled, submerge the base of your pie dish in warm water. This will soften the fats in the pastry and release them from the dish making slicing the pie easy.
If you are looking for other Matariki inspired treats to make for your whānau
- Galaxy iced cookies are a great baking project you can do with tamariki (children)
- My special hot chocolate is the perfect drink to take outside when you are star gazing
- Add star shaped hot chocolate toppers to your hot chocolate.
- Or for another delicious dessert pie, my easy rhubarb pie can't be beaten.
Sweet Kumara pie
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Ingredients
- 2 sheets sweet short pastry (poha)
- 125 g gingiernut biscuits (pihikete tinitia) ½ pack
- 35 g almonds (aramona ¼ cup
- 750 g kumara Orange or Gold
- 50 g butter (pata) diced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (hinamona)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (natimeke)
- ½ teaspoon ginger (tinitia)
- 85 g brown sugar (huka haura) ½ cup
- 3 eggs (heki)
- 250 ml cream (kirimi)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla ( iho haperei)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees celsius
- Line your pie dish with the (poha) sweet short pastry, refrigerate the lined dish for 60 mins. Use any pastry cut-offs to cut out star shapes. These will be used to decorate the pae (pie).
- Peel and chop the kumara into 3 cm piece, lay out on a bakng paper lined roasting tray.
- Sprinkle the kumara with the rau kikini (spices) (natimeke, tinitia, hinamona), spread the diced pata (butter) around the pieces of kumara, and drizzle the kumara with the marahihi mapere (maple syrup).
- Cover the roasting tray with tin foil, bake for 30 mins until the kumara is soft, the maple syrup and butter will form a caramel on the base of the lined tray.
- While the kumara is roasting, blitz the aramona (almonds) and pihikete tinitia (gingernut biscuits) in a food processor to form a fine crumb
- Remove the baked kumara from the oven, and allow to cool on the bench
- Take the chilled pastry case, gently press a layer of the gingernut and almond crumb into the base of the pastry (you will use around ½ crumb, reserve the rest to go on the top of the cooked pie. Blind bake the pastry case for 10 minutes at 200 degrees celsius. You can bake the stars at the same time.
- Purée the cooled kumara, be sure to scrape all the yummy sweet bits from the baking paper into the purée. If you need a little extra liquid for your blended to create a smooth purée, use a little of the 250 ml krimi (cream).
- In a large bowl, whisk the heki (eggs), (krimi) cream, iho haperei (vanilla essence), and huka haura (brown sugar).
- Stir the kumara purée through the egg mixture, until you have a smooth consistent pie filling.
- Pour the kumara filling into the blind-baked pastry in your pie dish. Reduce the temperature of your oven to 160 degrees Celsius and bake the pie for 45-50 mins, until the filling is firm.
- Cool
- (Tip): To release the pastry from the pie dish, fill your sink with warm water. Dip the pie dish into the water (being careful to not let any water into the actual pie.) This will stop the pie from sticking when you remove pieces.
- Decorate the pie, sprinkle a ring of the gingernut almond crumb around the edge of the pie filling. Press the stars around the edge of the pie
Video
Notes
Tips
- This pie tastes best the day after it is baked. Prepare your pie, refrigerate it overnight, Pop it on the bench around 1-2 hours before you plan to serve it so that it comes up to temperature.
- I think this Sweet Kumara Pie is best served with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, my kids however think everything tastes better with ice cream
- Poha: (pastry) I used 2 sheets of store-bought sweet short pastry
- Kumara (sweet potato) I have tested this recipe with gold and orange Kumara, these varieties are less starchy than purple/red-skinned kumara.
Nutrition
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