Delia Smith’s steak and kidney pudding is chuck steak, ox kidney and onion sealed in suet pastry, then steamed for 5 hours. Once it is on the heat, you can forget about it until supper. It serves 6 people, with her steak and kidney gravy on the side.
In the Winter Collection, Delia gives it a fun subtitle, “Kate and Sidney make a comeback”. That is Cockney slang for steak and kidney, so the subtitle says the dish is coming back. She says a home-made pudding is far better than a factory one, and very simple to make.
A pudding is not the same as a pie, though. The pudding cooks in steam inside a basin lined with pastry, while a pie bakes in the oven under a lid.
For an oven-baked version of the same steak and kidney filling, see her pie with a suet crust. If you like suet, her beef stew with dumplings uses it too.
Delia Smith Steak and Kidney Pudding
Cubes of steak and kidney in a basin of suet pastry, steamed until tender, with an extra gravy made from the meat trimmings.
6
servings30
minutes5
hours690
kcalIngredients
- For the suet crust pastry:
350g (12oz) self-raising flour
175g (6oz) shredded beef suet
salt and freshly milled black pepper
cold water, to mix
- For the filling:
560g (1¼lb) chuck steak
225g (8oz) ox kidney after trimming (buy 275g/10oz)
2 level tablespoons well-seasoned flour
1 medium onion, sliced
cold water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly milled black pepper
- For the steak and kidney gravy:
meat trimmings from the steak and kidney
1 onion, halved
570ml (1 pint) water
1 teaspoon beef dripping
1 heaped dessertspoon flour
a few drops Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Directions
- Pastry: Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and add some pepper. Mix in the suet with the blade of a knife.
- Dough: Add a few drops of cold water and mix with the knife, turning the mixture around. Keep adding drops until it is sticky, then use your hands to make a smooth, elastic dough that leaves the bowl clean.
- Line: Keep a quarter of the dough for the lid. Roll the rest out fairly thickly to a round about 32.5cm (13in) across. Line a 1.5 litre (2½ pint) pudding basin with it, pressing it well all round.
- Filling: Chop the steak and kidney into fairly small cubes and toss them in the seasoned flour. Put them in the lined basin with the onion slices.
- Water: Pour in cold water until it almost reaches the top of the meat. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season again.
- Lid: Roll out the pastry lid, dampen its edges and put it on the pudding. Seal it well.
- Cover: Cover the basin with a double sheet of foil, pleated in the centre so the pudding has room to rise. Tie it on with string, and make a string handle to lift it out.
- Steam: Steam the pudding over boiling water for 5 hours. Top up the pan with boiling water halfway through.
- Gravy stock: While it steams, put the meat trimmings in a saucepan with half the onion and the water. Season, simmer for about 1 hour, then strain the stock.
- Gravy: In the same pan, fry the rest of the onion, chopped small, in the dripping until soft and blackened at the edges. Stir in the flour, then add the stock little by little to make a smooth gravy.
- Season: Add a spot of gravy browning if you need it, then check the seasoning and add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.
- Serve: Spoon portions straight from the basin. Or slide a palette knife round the edge and turn the pudding out onto a plate, which Delia says is more fun.
Notes
- Suet pastry needs more water than other pastry, Delia says. If the dough still feels dry, add a few more drops at a time.
- Always top up the steamer with boiling water, never cold. A pan filled three-quarters full rarely needs much more, she says.
FAQs
How long do you steam steak and kidney pudding?
Steam it for 5 hours. Both of Delia’s recipes give the same time, with the water topped up halfway.
Extra steaming does no harm, she says. If dinner is an hour late, the pudding will be just as good.
Can I make it without a steamer?
Yes, you can use a large saucepan instead. Sit the basin on a small upturned plate or a ball of crumpled foil, so it stays above the water.
Pour in boiling water, but only up to a third of the pan. Keep the heat gentle, or the water can bubble into the pudding.
Watch the water level, because it boils away faster than in a steamer. A lid that fits well is essential, Delia says.
Can I use lamb’s kidney instead of ox kidney?
No, use ox kidney. Delia says steak and kidney only works with ox kidney and no other kind.
Cut it really small, she says. Then even people who think they dislike kidney enjoy the flavour without noticing it.
How is her Complete Cookery Course pudding different?
It is a smaller pudding for 4 people. You need 450g chuck steak and 225g ox kidney in a well-buttered 1.2 litre (2 pint) basin.
The pastry is the same, with 350g self-raising flour and 175g suet. The method and the 5 hours of steaming are the same too. The 1983 edition gives the basin as 1 litre.
