Curry Puffs

You can buy these at almost every street corner in Malaysia, they're served as snacks or finger food at weddings, birthdays, tea parties, work functions etc. The traditional version uses dough made with shortening and margarine and deep fried. They are super crispy but not that good for your waistline or cholesterol. My shortcut version uses store bought puff pastry, or if you want to keep them, use shortcrust pastry, as puff pastry goes soggy when cold and doesn’t reheat well in the microwave. Mine are baked in the oven instead of deep fried.

Ingredients (makes about 16)

4 large potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1cm cubes and parboiled

1 large onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

500g lamb mince

2 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground tumeric

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp cooking oil

salt to taste

½ cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

1 egg beaten lightly for egg wash

Puff pastry (about 4 sheets)

Method

1.          Heat cooking oil in pan.

2.          Saute onion and garlic and mustard seeds until the mustard seeds “pop”.

3.          Add the mince and spices.

4.          Cook the mince and try to break the clumps up.

5.          Add potatoes, and lastly the frozen vegetables.

6.          You can add a bit of water if too dry but you don’t want a sauce.

7.          Add salt to taste.

8.          Cool the filling.

9.          Preheat oven to 200°C.

10.       Prepare the pastry. Cut 4 rounds from each sheet of pastry, of if you don’t want to waste, cut them into squares.

11.       Place the filling on half of the pastry and fold over.

12.       Either pleat the edges (if using a round shape), or simply crimp the edges together with a fork.

13.       Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake in 200°C for 15 mins or until pastry is cooked and golden.

Filling.

Round ones with pleated edges.

Triangular ones.