Fake and Kidding Pudding

As promised, the recipe for fake and kidding pudding!

This recipe was developed by adapting the steak and kidney pudding recipe from how to be a domestic goddess and the recipe book that came with my pressure cooker. The process is as follows..

Ingredients

For the filling:-
1 packet (~300g)  sainsbury's frozen veggie mince (or Realeat veggie mince, i don't like Quorn mince)

150 g button mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons mushroom ketchup
4 teaspoons vegetarian gravy powder
Enough water to make a 'gravy'
Oil for frying the onions

For the pastry:-
175 g  wholemeal self-raising flour (I like the doves farm one), you can use white flour, i just like to use wholemeal where possible.
pinch of salt
87 g vegetable suet
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
water to make a dough

3 pint pudding basin (the plastic ones with clip on lids are easier, but i lost my lid..)
If you have a traditional pudding basin, you will also need string and tin-foil.
Pressure cooker, or big pan.

Cooking times
Filling ~20 min
If you are using a pressure cooker the pudding will take about 40 minutes, if you need to use a normal pan then steaming will take 2-2 1/2 hours.


Method
Fry the onion until slightly browned, then add the mince and musrooms. As things cook down add the gravy powder, mushroom ketchup and mustard powder and cook until it looks something like this -

I made the filling the day before, as this allows the flavours to develop better, but you can use the filling straight away. If using the same day, add enough water to make a bit of gravy in the pan, if using the next day do this just before assembling your pudding.

The next step is to make the pastry, which is easy peasy..
Grease your pudding bowl. Really well. There's nothing quite so disappointing as making a lovely pudding then when you tip it out of the basin, the pastry sticks and it all collapses..
If you have no pressure cooker then get your pan-full of water boiling now!, you'll need plenty. If you have a pressure cooker, just pop the kettle on (you won't need so much water) or put ~800 ml in the pan and bring to the boil.

Mix the flour, salt, mustard powder and suet in a bowl and then add enough water to make a firm dough. Roll out on a floured surface until it's about half a centimetre thick and then line the pudding basin, make sure you have enough left for the lid.

Pour your filling into the pastry-lined bowl, and then add a pastry lid taking pains to make sure the edges are well sealed.

If you have a plastic pudding bowl then the next step is easy, snap the lid on top and make sure it's shut all the way round. If, like me, you have a traditional pudding basin then you need to get out the string and tin-foil, and butter a piece of foil, make a pleat in it and then put it over the top of the basin. Using string attach the foil lid to the basin as shown below. Try to make yourself a string handle while you're at it, this will make pudding retrieval that much easier..

Now you are ready to cook your pudding!
For pressure cooker owners pop the water in the pan and then the pudding. Put the lid on and steam the pudding for ten minutes and then bring to pressure and cook for a further 25-30 minutes.

If you have no pressure cooker then immerse the pudding in the pan-full of water (not completely!) or in a steamer above the water and cook for 2-2 1/2 hours, keeping an eye on the water levels.

Once the pudding is cooked, snip the string (or pop off the lid) and reveal your pudding. Run a knife round the edge to make sure the pastry will come free from the basin and then pop a plate on top and flip to get your pudding on a plate. Gently remove the basin from the pudding (it's hot!) and lo and behold you will have a fake and kidding pudding!

Enjoy!