Malaysian Curry Puffs

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It’s party season and I have quite a few catering gigs on at the moment. I’m always looking for tasty finger food to serve, so combine my love of Malaysian food with an equally strong affinity for pastry and you get Malaysian curry puffs.

I was looking for a good pastry recipe that holds up to a wet filling and bakes really well, and with the help of Google, I came across the fabulous Bea of El Mundo Eats, a Malaysian living in Spain. Her recipe for curry puffs uses a different technique for the filling, whereas I just use my standard Malaysian curry - I just cut the chicken smaller. Her pastry is awesome, and one I now use for other savoury pies. Pop over to her blog if you want to see and cook some fabulous food.

With this recipe there is a lot of the curry sauce left over. I love using this over my lamb murtabak recipe, or just serve it with roti or paratha, it makes a great dip.

Enjoy and

Happy Cooking

gill

Malaysian Curry Puffs

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  • 500 grams chicken - cut into 1cm cubes

  • 2 tablespoons Malaysian curry powder (or a good Madras curry powder)

  • 1 medium onion cut into quarters

  • 1 inch of ginger (grated)

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 1 cup of coconut milk

  • 1 cup of water

  • 1 stick of cinnamon

  • 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves, 1 star anise

  • 1 potato peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

    Pastry ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter (113 grams) - softened

  • 3 3/4 cups flour (490 grams)

  • 1 egg

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2/3 cup warm water (160mls)

Method

  1. Make the pastry - whip the butter in an electric mixer with a paddle blade until smooth and white, add in the egg and mix to combine - don’t worry if it looks a bit curdly, the flour will fix that. Add in the flour and turmeric and mix to combine. Change the blade to a hook attachment and add the warm water slowly while mixing to form a dough. Knead for 5 minutes.

  2. Roll the dough into balls - I use a scale and make them 40 grams for snack size pastries and 80 gram for dinner size. Pop the balls into the fridge for at least an hour.

  3. Make the curry. Blend the onion, ginger, garlic, curry powder and 1/2 cup of the water in a blender until smooth.

  4. Heat the oil in a deep pan over medium heat and add the chicken and curry mixture. Fry for about 5 minutes, then add coconut milk, the rest of the water, potatoes, salt, and spices. Cook for about 25 minutes until potatoes are cooked.

  5. The curry will be a bit runny. I drain it and keep the sauce to pop on to roti or paratha for a snack. Don’t forget to discard the whole spices and cinnamon stick.

  6. To make the curry puffs. Roll each dough ball into a 10cm circle. Put a tablespoon of the chicken and potato mixture on the dough. Paint a little bit of beaten egg around the edges and seal. I crimp mine, but you can press the edges together with a fork - you’re just looking to stop the filling popping out while you’re cooking.

  7. Place onto a lined baking tray, Brush with the beaten egg and cut a small slit in the top for the steam to escape.

  8. Bake at 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 12 minutes - look for a lovely golden colour and a crisp outer shell.