SBS Food

www.sbs.com.au/food

Curry puffs

"Learning how to crimp a curry puff perfectly is one of my earliest food memories. From the age of six, I used to practise obsessively on Play-Doh. If you can't manage the crimping, the job is easily done by using the tips of a fork to press down on the seams. As long as they're adequately sealed, they will go down the same way. For those longing for a sauce, there is no need – these moreish little parcels are a crowd-pleaser, full of flavour and traditionally eaten as is." Poh Ling Yeow, Poh & Co.

  • makes

    20

  • prep

    1 hour

  • cook

    30 minutes

  • difficulty

    Mid

makes

20

serves

preparation

1

hour

cooking

30

minutes

difficulty

Mid

level

Ingredients

Filling
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
  • ½ large brown onion, peeled, diced into 5 mm cubes 
  • 2-3 tbsp meat curry powder
  • 250 g chicken breast or chuck steak, diced into 5 mm cubes (use mince if you're lazy)
  • 100 g sweet potato, peeled, diced into 5 mm cubes 
  • 1 medium potato, peeled, diced into 5 mm cubes 
  • ½ tsp sugar, or to taste 
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste 
Shortcrust pastry (see Note)
  • 3 ⅓ cups (500 g) plain flour 
  • 1 tsp salt 
  • 250 g unsalted butter, room temperature 
  • 120 ml chilled water and more if required 
 
  • 2 litres vegetable oil, for frying
Cooling time 30 minutes

Instructions

To make the filling, heat the oil in a medium sized non-stick frypan over medium heat. Sauté the onions for about 2 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the meat curry powder and cook for about 10 seconds or until toasted and very fragrant. Add the chicken and stir-fry until cooked. Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Taste and season further. Spread mixture out on a plate to cool, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate.

Meanwhile, to make the shortcrust pastry, combine the flour, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl. Break off chunks of butter and, with your hands rub the butter into the flour vigorously until you achieve a sandy consistency. Gradually add tablespoons of water at a time and, rather than kneading, use a gathering, squeezing action to bind the mixture into a firm dough. Roughly shape into 3 discs, cover with cling wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To stuff curry puffs, dust a clean benchtop with a little flour and roll pastry until 3 mm thick. Cut 20 circles with a pastry cutter - cut all your pastry out at once then lay the cut pieces on baking paper, cover with cling wrap and place in fridge. Working with only a few pieces out of the fridge at a time, fill each circle with a teaspoonful of mixture. Fold in half then squeeze the edges together and crimp or using the tips of a fork, gently press on the seams (resting on benchtop) to seal the edges. Place the curry puffs on a tray in the fridge until ready to cook.

To fry, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan or wok. To test if the oil is ready, drop in a very small portion of pastry. If it turns golden in 15-20 seconds, you are good to go. Fry 4 curry puffs at a time until the pastry is a beautiful deep golden, then drain in a colander lined with paper towel. Another option is to brush the curry puffs with an egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp of milk) and bake at 180ºC or 170ºC fan-forced for about 25-30 minutes until deep golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note

• Don't waste pastry scraps! Leave at room temperature and knead scraps into a ball, then flatten into a disc, cover in cling wrap and freeze for a rainy day. Don't try to use the scraps right away (the gluten needs to relax overnight) or you will have a hard time rolling it out and it will shrink dramatically when cooked. If you are saving store-bought pastry, trim the dry edges off before kneading into a ball. Make sure you weigh and date the dough before freezing.

• If using store-bought pastry, you’ll need 1 kg.

This recipe is from Poh & Co

Photograph by Randy Larcombe Photography.

Reproduced with permission from the book Same Same But Different by Poh Ling Yeow, published by ABC Books/HarperCollins Publishers Australia, 2014.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.


Share

SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Food

Published

By Poh Ling Yeow
Source: SBS



Share this with family and friends


SBS Food Newsletter

Get your weekly serving. What to cook, the latest food news, exclusive giveaways - straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS On Demand
SBS News
SBS Audio

Listen to our podcasts
You know pizza, pasta and tiramisu, but have you tried the Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine?
Everybody eats, but who gets to define what good food is?
Get the latest with our SBS podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch SBS On Demand
Bring the world to your kitchen

Bring the world to your kitchen

Eat with your eyes: binge on our daily menus on channel 33.