Put the flour into a shallow plate and season with salt and pepper. Toss the beef in the flour to coat it. Set aside.
Add the shallots, garlic, carrots, squash, tomatoes and chilli in the container of your slow cooker.
Mix the stock with the tomato paste, soy sauce, sugar and all the spices. Pour over the vegetables.
Add the beef and stir briefly. Cook on high for 3 hours on until the squash is cooked through.
Stir in the cornflour and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or until the juices have thickened slightly. Cool the stew before using in the pot pies, otherwise the puff pastry will melt.
Preheat the oven to 200C | 400F.
Take 4 small ramekins – about 10cm (4in) wide and 5cm (2in) deep – and fill with the stew almost to the top.
Cut 4 rounds of puff pastry that are slightly larger than the size of your ramekins.
Brush the rims of the dishes with a little beaten egg, and cover with the puff pastry. Press the edges lightly to seal. Cut a small hole at the centre of each pot pie to allow steam to escape.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and place on a heavy baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with some steamed vegetables on the side.
Notes
Keep the pastry in the fridge until you need it and try using all butter puff pastry. If you want to make a homemade pastry topping, this recipe never fails me.