Pastel Tutup Recipe – Classic Indonesian Casserole
This post may contain affiliate links.Pastel Tutup is the classic Indonesian casserole style of sheperd’s pie. It has been very popular since the Dutch colonization until now. You will love this crunchy cheese crust on top with very soft, golden layer of potatoes and mixed beef and vegetables inside.
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What is Pastel Tutup?
Pastel Tutup is a very nic Indonesian dish that combines the heartiness of a shepherd’s pie with local flavors. Picture a golden layer of mashed potatoes, baked to perfection, covering a savory filling of tender chicken or beef, vegetables, and glass noodles.
It’s rich, satisfying, and brings a touch of home-cooked warmth to the table. This dish is often served during special occasions, making it a comforting centerpiece that everyone loves to dig into.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Onion and garlic – Chopped onion and minced garlic will make the filling more fragrant and flavorful.
Ground beef – Ground beef with 15% fat content is the ideal choice. You can substitute with chicken if you want.
Whipping cream – Whipping cream will make the filling and the potato layer creamier and tastier.
Ground nutmeg – Ground nutmeg adds an exotic flavor to the filling.
Glass noodles – Soak glass noodles in cold water until soft enough to cook. Other than glass noodles, you can use rice vermicelli or pasta.
How to Make
- Soak glass noodles in hot water (image 1). When it starts to become soft, drain and cut them shorter. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a wok or pan. Put in diced onion (image 2). Stir until fragrant. Throw in minced garlic.
- When you can smell the fragrance, add ground meat (image 3). Stir and let the meat change color.
- Add in diced carrot, corn, peas (image 4). Put in the soaked glass noodle. Stir until the noodle become softer.
- Pour whipping cream (image 5). Add seasoning: salt, pepper, sugar, mushroom powder, nutmeg powder, and flour. (image 6)
- Stir evenly. If you think it is too dry, you can add milk, cream or water. Take some to taste. Set aside and let it cool.
- Boil some water. Throw in cut potatoes. Cook until soft. (image 7)
- To make the mashed potatoes soft, sieve it through a strainer. (image 8)
- While the mashed potatoes is still warm, put in butter (image 9) and stir until it blends well with the potatoes.
- Add egg yolk and whipping cream (image 11, 12). Mix well with a spatula until well-blended.
- Divide the fillings into 3 to 4 parts, depending on your pan (image 13). Put the fillings at the bottom of the container. I use a 10 cm diameter aluminum foil.
- Put the mashed potatoes on top (image 13, 14). Scrape with spatula neatly. You can either decorate with a fork, draw any pattern you like and brush with egg wash or just sprinkle with grated cheese. (image 15, 16)
- Brush with egg wash on top of the mashed potatoes (image 17). Sprinkle with grated cheese (image 18).
- It is ready to bake. Bake in a preheated oven 200°C for 20-25 minutes until golden brown (image 19, 20). Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Sieve the mashed potatoes through a strainer to make it soft and smooth.
- You can choose to decorate the top of the mashed potatoes with a fork and brush it with egg wash. Or you can just brush it with egg wash and sprinkle it with grated cheese.
FAQs
Our Favorite
Indonesian -Dutch Recipes
Pastel Tutup
Equipment
- 4 aluminium tin foil 10 cm diameter
Ingredients
Fillings
- 30 gr butter
- ½ onion diced
- 4 minced garlic
- 1 leek minced
- 200 gr ground beef
- 1 carrot diced
- 75 gr corn
- 75 gr peas
- ½ glass noodle soaked and cut
- 100 ml whipping cream whole milk
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp mushroom powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
- ½ tbsp flour
Topping
- 500 gr potatoes
- 75 ml whipping cream whole milk
- 35 gr butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 gr Grated cheese
Instructions
Fillings
- Soak glass noodles in hot water. When it starts to become soft, drain and cut them shorter. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a wok or pan. Put in diced onion. Stir until fragrant. Throw in minced garlic.
- When you can smell the fragrance, add ground meat. Stir and let the meat change color.
- Add in diced carrot, corn, peas. Put in the soaked glass noodle. Stir until the noodle become softer.
- Pour whipping cream. Add seasoning: salt, pepper, sugar, mushroom powder, nutmeg powder, and flour.
- Stir evenly. If you think it is too dry, you can add milk, cream or water. Take some to taste. Set aside and let it cool.
Topping
- Boil some water. Throw in cut potatoes. Cook until soft.
- To make the mashed potatoes soft, sieve it through a strainer.
- While the mashed potatoes is still warm, put in butter and stir until it blends well with the potatoes.
- Add egg yolk and whipping cream. Mix well with a spatula until well-blended.
Assembling
- Divide the fillings into 3 to 4 parts. Put the fillings at the bottom of the container. I use a 10 cm diameter aluminum foil.
- Put the mashed potatoes on top. Scrape with spatula neatly. You can either decorate with a fork, draw any pattern you like and brush with egg wash or just sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Brush with egg wash on top of the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- It is ready to bake. Bake in a preheated oven 200°C for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Sieve the mashed potatoes through a strainer to make it soft
and smooth. - You can choose to decorate the top of the mashed potatoes with
a fork and brush it with egg wash. Or you can just brush it with egg wash and sprinkle it with grated cheese.
This recipe has been passed down through many generations since the Dutch colonization era in Indonesia. It’s an Indonesian version of Shepherd’s Pie with local flavors! A must-try! 🙂