Super Flaky & Crispy Curry Puffs

I do admit that I have a weakness for curry puffs.  These curry puffs that I am presenting today is one that is to die for.  Undeniably, one of the best curry puffs that I have ever eaten.  Well, this is my second posting on curry puffs.  The first one was somewhere last year {Curry Puffs} but that version was slightly different from this one that I am posting today.  One thing that makes this curry puff so very yummilicious and so distinct from the normal ones which I used to eat, solely lies on its pastry which is super crispy and flaky.  Super-dee-duper if I may say again! 



Now, let me caution you if you are eating these puffs.  Whether you are taking it at home or at a dinner table or even in a restaurant, before you take your first bite, make sure you do it very gently and if possible take a plate or a bowl and lay it just below your chin otherwise you will see bits and pieces of the flakes flying here and there and eventually messing up the table, the floor or even your clothes.  Let me also warn you that when you are at a dinner party donned with nice make-ups trying to look elegant and posh hoping to impress the guests, please avoid this snack at all cost!  Otherwise, be prepared to see pairs of weird-looking eyes goggling at you as though you are standing there naked.  LOL!  Anyway, I hope that you've got my point here! 



Okay, back to the recipe.  I got the recipe from Faeez of Bitter Sweet Spicy.  Basically, making the puffs involves four steps :

1. Preparing the pastry
2. Preparing the filling
3. Assembling
4. Baking

Frankly, the whole process is rather time-consuming especially preparing the pastry.  It can easily eat almost half of your day.  Therefore, I strongly recommend that you divide the above steps in two/three different days instead of doing everything in one go which can drain you away.

The pastry itself takes about 2 hours to prepare.  As preparing the pastry involves quite a lot of steps and the explanation is rather lengthy, I have separated the making process from this post. To make the pastry, please click the link over here {How To Make A Super Flaky Pastry}.
  

Please do not be daunted by all these steps.  Though it may sound a little laborious, trust me that the final outcome will blow everyone away making you feel all your efforts are just satisfyingly worthwhile.  Before you can even realize, you are already on your way making the second batch the very next day!  So, do give it a try and you know what I am saying!


THE RECIPE:
Adapted from Faeez of Bitter Sweet Spicy

1) Preparing the pastry

    - please visit this link {How To Make A Super Flaky Pastry}

2) Preparing The Filling

     
     Ingredients:

     500g potato (peeled & cut into small pieces)
     200g onion, cubed
     200g meat (I used chicken breast, cut into small pieces.)
     4 tbsp meat curry powder (mix with some water to form a paste)
     1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
     3 cloves, 3 cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon stick
     2 tbsp cooking oil
     chinese parsley & spring onion
     salt to taste

     

      Method:

1. Heat up oil in a frying pan.
2. Fry cloves, cardamom & cinnamon stick until fragrant. Add garlic & ginger paste & continue frying until fragrant.
3. Add curry paste and continue frying. Add meat and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add in potato and cook until potato is soft. Add water when necessary. Finally add in onion, chinese parsley, spring onion & salt.
4. Once cooked, remove from stove set aside to cool completely.

3) Assembling & baking

1. Bring out the dough (which has been cut into smaller squares) from the refrigerator.  Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
2. Using your fingers, press each square gently and coat it with flour.
3. Starting from the middle, roll out each piece upwards and then downwards, turning it at 90 deg after every set of upward-and-downward rolling. This is to ensure that the square shape is maintained throughout the rolling process.
4. Then, turn the dough such that you are facing a diamond shape dough. Starting from the middle, roll out upwards and then downwards, once only. 
5. Place the side of each square with lesser veins facing upwards. So the side with more veins will be the outer part of the puff.
6. Spoon the filling on the square. Brush egg white or water on the edges.
7. Fold into a triangle and seal. (I pinched the edges into plaits)
8. Then dip the puff into a bowl of water, & using your other hand, rub off any flour that is stuck to the pastry. Lift up the puff and drain as much water as possible.  (I skipped this altogether)
9. Place the puffs on a baking tray which has been lined with baking paper. 
10. Just before putting the tray of puffs in the oven, pour a tsp of oil onto each puff and spread it evenly using a brush.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 deg C for about 25 minutes.

Voila! Here you go, the baked puffs.......

How To Make A Super Flaky Pastry (for puffs and pies)

 

I used this pastry to make curry puffs and chicken pot pie.  This is one hell of a super flaky pastry.  Looking at the flakes will just leave you all excited and go bananas for a while.  Frankly, as a newbie to baking and not a trained cook/baker, I am not sure whether this is a puff pastry or not.  Whatever it is,..........I know that this IS a PASTRY,......... that makes a commendably great recipe. 

Before you scroll down any further, I wish to caution you that the explanation in this post is rather lengthy involving lots of steps.  I can't seem to find ways to simplify it any further.  If this is your first time making a puff pastry or something similar, be sure that you read everything very carefully.  I do recommend that you read the steps a few times to get the whole process digested and visualized before getting your hands dirty. 

I have also used color codes on the words to ease readability and understanding:

1. Red indicates you need to let the dough rest for 20 minutes. By knowing this, it helps you plan your work more easily.
2. Blue indicates the ingredients used. 

INDGREDIENTS:

600g plain flour
1 egg (beaten)
250ml warm water (not hot)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yellow colouring (I used turmeric powder to get the yellow hue)
200g pastry margarine

STEPS:

Basically, making the pastry involves 3 steps : 

 

A) Making the dough

• Combine warm water, salt and colouring in a bowl and mix until salt dissolves.
• Combine flour, egg and water in another bowl and mix just until the mixture forms a dough. Do not overmix. Don't worry if  there are still specks of flour in the dough as they will 'disappear' after the rolling and folding process. 
•  Cover dough with plastic and leave it to rest for at least 20 minutes.  

B) Preparing the pastry margarine

• While the dough is resting, place the pastry margarine on a plastic.
• Place another piece of plastic on the margarine. 
• Roll out the margarine evenly into a rectangle. Leave aside.

C) Rolling and folding the dough

1. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1cm thick, as evenly as possible. Then place the rolled-out pastry margarine on one side of the dough. (Pic 1)
2. Fold dough into 2, just like you would close a book. (Pic 2)
3. Press the edges to seal.  Cover dough with plastic & leave to rest for at least 20 minutes. (Pic 3)
4. Turn dough at 90 deg. Then roll dough into a rectangle.
5. Divide the rectangle vertically into thirds,  marking the dough lightly with the edge of your hand. Fold  the first third of the dough, overlapping the second third (Pic 4)
6. Then fold over the last third of the dough overlapping both the 1st and 2nd thirds, brushing away the excess flour from the inside as you fold.  You should be getting a long vertical rectangle facing you. (Pic 5)
7. Next, divide the dough into thirds again, this time from top to bottom.  Take the 1st third (right on top) and fold, overlapping the 2nd third.  (Pic 6)
8. Now, take the last third and fold, overlapping the 1st and 2nd thirds to form a square. (Pic 7)  Cover dough with plastic and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes.
9. Roll out the dough into a rectangle again. Repeat Step 5 & 6.
10. Now, divide the dough into thirds again, from top to bottom. Then, cut the dough. (This step is just like step 7 except that this time the thirds are cut.) 
11. Place the bottom third onto the middle third & followed by the top third. You'll end up with a tall squarish dough. (Pic 8) Cover dough with plastic & leave to rest for at least 20 minutes.
12. Using a knife & a ruler, divide the dough into small squares and make markings on the dough. (I divided it into 16 squares.  Then carefully cut the small squares. (Pic 9)  At this stage, you can divide and cut into any sizes as you like, depending on what you are using it for.
13. Refrigerate for a while and here you go..........the dough is ready for use!