PASTEL TUTUP…INDONESIA”S COMFORTING COVERED PASTEL.

Pastel Tutup – Indonesia’s Comforting “Covered” Pastel
When we hear the word pastel, most of us living in Indonesia immediately think of the familiar deep-fried pastry — golden, flaky, and filled with rice noodles, carrots, potatoes, chicken, and egg.
But growing up in Pune, this was a word I had never heard. Anything with potatoes was aloo tikki, potato bhaji, or at the very most, aloo pakora. Which were regularly made at home, hence the soul connection to the sindhi aloo Tikki.. Deep fried ofcourse or the quintessential aloo toaster, made from left over potato sabji.
The word pastel entered my life only after I got married and moved to Jakarta 😊 And honestly, it was love at first mouthful. The crisp shell and mildly spiced filling reminded me of a samosa — though much gentler in flavour.
A few years later, I discovered pastel tutup — usually sold at bakeries in small aluminium trays. Just as comforting, but without the deep-fried element. Instead of a pastry crust, it is topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. Think of it as Indonesia’s answer to shepherd’s pie — but with the familiar pastel filling inside.
So why is it still called pastel?
The word comes from Portuguese and Spanish, meaning “pie” or “pastry.” During colonial times, the Dutch introduced European-style pies and casseroles to Indonesia. The dish evolved beautifully with local flavours.
In Indonesian, tutup means “covered.” So pastel tutup literally translates to “covered pastel” — the filling remains the same, but the pastry shell is replaced with a mashed potato topping.
For me, this dish is pure comfort. Creamy, mildly sweet, slightly savoury, and hearty enough to be a complete one-dish meal.
If you enjoy dishes like shepherd’s pie but love Indonesian flavours, this one is definitely worth trying.
Ingredients
Filling
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
½ onion, finely chopped
75 g carrots, diced and parboiled
100 g corn kernels, parboiled
50 gms fresh mushrooms (I used wood ear mushrooms), sliced
100 g chicken, cubed
50 g green peas (I used frozen peas)
100 g boiled rice vermicelli, or glass noodles cut roughly
1 boiled egg, sliced
100–150 ml milk
2 tbsp condensed milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chicken stock powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
⅓ cup grated cheese
Topping
250 g potatoes, boiled & mashed
75 ml milk
30 g butter
1 egg yolk (optional)
⅓ cup grated soft cheese
Method
1. Make the Filling
Heat butter in a pan.
Sauté onion until fragrant.
Add flour and stir to form a light roux.
Add carrots, corn, mushrooms, and chicken. Stir well.
Pour in milk and condensed milk. Cook until slightly thickened.
Add boiled egg, rice vermicelli, salt, pepper, stock powder, nutmeg, and cheese.
Mix until creamy but not runny. The filling should be thick so it doesn’t seep into the potato topping.
2. Make the Potato Topping
Mash potatoes until smooth.
Mix in butter, milk, cheese, and egg yolk (if using).
Season lightly with salt.
3. Assemble
Grease a baking dish with butter.
Spread the filling evenly at the base.
Cover with mashed potatoes and smooth the top., i added some grated cheese also.
4. Bake
Bake at 180°C for 25–30 minutes, or until the top is golden and lightly crisp.
Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. It slices beautifully and tastes even better warm.