Pastry Ingredients:
- 2 cups / 300g plain flour
- 1 stick cold butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup / 75 ml of cold water
- Pinch salt
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 cooked large chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
- 2 cooked potatoes cut into small cubes
- 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger finely chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- Salt / pepper to season
- 1 large tablespoon meat curry powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder – optional
- 5 curry leaves
Makes 18 medium sized curry puffs, my circle cutter was 10 cm in diameter, you can make smaller or bigger ones if you like and this will change the quantity of puffs.
Directions:
1. Start by making your pastry.
2. If you're using a food processor, put the flour and butter in and pulse until it forms fine breadcrumbs.
3. If you don't have a food processor don't worry, just put the flour and butter in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Next add the cold water and pulse or mix in until it forms a ball.
5. Take out roll it into a ball and then cover with cling film and put in the fridge for 1/2 an hour.
Now you can make the filling:
1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, curry leaves and chili powder.
2. Cook this all on a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
3. Then add the chicken, potatoes, sugar and lime juice, and 1/2 cup water.
4. Leave to simmer for 7 - 8 minutes further or until the liquid has dried up.
5. This is important as you don't want liquid in the mixture as it will make your pastry go soggy and fall apart when you fill them.
6. Leave this mixture to cool down.
Now you can start rolling:
1. Take the pastry out of the fridge, lightly flour your work surface and using a rolling pin, roll pastry out as thin as you can.
2. Cut out as many circles as you can, I used a bowl to cut around and it's diameter was 10 cm. (This quantity of pastry made 18 curry puffs).
3. You will have to keep re rolling the pastry out until it is all used up.
4. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling into the middle of the circle, you want to make sure that there is not too much filling inside or you won't be able to fold them properly.
5. Using a bit of water on your fingertip, dampen the edges of the circle then fold the pastry over to make a semi circle, make sure you gently pinch the sides together.
6. This will ensure no filling leaks out. You can now twist and fold the edges to make it look good and to seal it.
7. Using your finger and thumb gently pinch the pastry then fold it down and keep going until the end of the pastry.
8. Heat some sunflower or vegetable oil in a pan until about 2 inches deep.
9. When it is hot you can carefully place the curry puffs in.
10. They will cook quickly and when they are golden brown each side they are cooked.
11. This shouldn't take longer than 2 minutes max.
Be very careful when deep-frying, hot oil is dangerous. You could cook these in the oven too if you don't want to deep fry. Keep Up With Caroline at her Youtube Page: www.youtube.com/carolineartiss.
Get more of Caroline's recipes here: www.carolinemiliartiss.com.