Potato And Lamb Curry Puff Filling Recipes

CLASSIC LAMB & POTATO CURRY

Steps:

• Wash and drain your meat. Peel and chop 3 - 4 onions.
• Place the meat, onions, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp garlic, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamoms, fenugreek seeds and salt (to your taste) in a pot and cover. Turn the flame to full and cook for 20 - 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Gradually you will find that there will be a lot of fluid in the saucepan (top left photo), let the meat cook covered till most of this fluid has evaporated. Remember to stir the curry, stirring prevents it from burning and helps break down the onions, ginger and garlic.
• Once most of the fluid has evaporated and you can see the oil/fat from the meat has separated and is bubbling around the edges of the pan, you're ready to add the oil and spices. I normally add 3 serving spoons, the flat wooden spoon here being my measurement of oil (top right photo) but I estimate this to be about 80 - 100ml. You do need a fair amount of oil for the spices to fry well, you can't expect to cook a decent curry without adding extra oil. Photo on the bottom left, shows you what your meat should look like before adding spices. Once you've added the oil proceed to add spices; add ½ tsp of turmeric (add 1 tsp if you want more colour)....
• tsp of chilli powder (use less/none if you want a mild curry, this is a medium heat curry), 2 heaped tsp mixed curry powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cumin.
• Mix the spices well and allow to fry over a low flame for 5 - 10 minutes to remove the raw taste. You have to be careful at this stage as the curry has very little liquid in it, so has a tendency to burn at the bottom. Make sure you stir it frequently to prevent this. I usually half cover the curry and keep my lid slightly ajar, this helps me keep an eye on the curry and I can smell if it's starting to burn at the bottom. If your curry does brown a little add some water, approximately ¼ glass and leave it to soften the burnt parts then scrape off with a wooden spoon, this normally doesn't affect the taste. If however it burns REALLY badly, I suggest changing pots.
• Meanwhile peel and halve 5 medium potatoes. Rinse and add to the pot, cover again and leave to simmer over a low - medium flame for a further 5 minutes. When the potatoes are half cooked (bottom right photo), you're ready to add water. Don't overcook the potatoes as you will boil them and don't want them to disintegrate.
• Add 1.5 glasses of cold water. After adding the water you should find that the oil from the curry rises to the top. Cover, turn the heat back up to full and allow to boil vigorously for a further 8 -10 minutes. You may add several whole chillies at this point, more for decorative purposes than flavour. Check the salt before taking the curry off the heat and adjust if necessary.
• Remove from the heat, leave covered for several minutes to allow the oil to rise to the top then garnish with fresh coriander. Enjoy your lamb and potato curry with rice, pilau or a flat bread.

POTATO AND LAMB CURRY PUFF FILLING

Steps:

• Toast the coriander seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, and peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Use a clean, dry coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to pulverize. Transfer to an electric mini-chopper and add cayenne, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, shallot, ginger, garlic, and 1 teaspoon water. Process to a paste, scraping down the sides occasionally. (If you've used a mortar and pestle, add all the ingredients, except the water, and pound into a paste. Add the water when done.) Transfer to a small bowl and set aside near the stove.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the spice paste and gently cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, until it has darkened and become richly fragrant. Add the lamb and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir and mash the meat into small pieces. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until most of the meat no longer looks raw. Add the potato, stir, and then add the 1/4 cup water and salt. Cover, lower the heat slightly, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the potato is tender and there is little liquid remaining. Remove from the heat and use the spoon or spatula to mash half of the potato and make the mixture cohere a bit. Taste and add extra salt, if needed. Mix in a pinch or two of brown sugar if the filling is too spicy. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool completely before using. The filling can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, covered in plastic wrap, and refrigerated. Return it to room temperature before using.

CURRY PUFFS

Steps:

• If the dough was refrigerated for longer than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature until it is malleable. Working on an unfloured or very lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough into an 11-inch square. This is easier to do if you work the rolling pin from the midline toward the top or bottom edge, and then roll back to the midline. Use both hands to lift up the edge closest to you and roll it all the way up to the top to form a cylinder. Roll the cylinder to even it out and lengthen it to about 12 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Cut the dough cylinder crosswise into 12 pieces, then use the palm and heel of your hand to flatten each dough piece into a 1/4-inch-thick disk.
• Work with half of the dough pieces at a time and keep the others covered with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Use a skinny Asian rolling pin (dowel) to roll each dough piece into a circle, a good 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Aim for a wrapper with a 1-inch-wide belly; the edge should be thinner than the middle. (For guidance, see "Forming Wrappers from Basic Dumpling Dough," step 5, page 24.)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To assemble a puff, hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand. Use a spoon to put about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle, spreading out the filling a bit to make shaping the puff easier and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. As you work, your hand should naturally close a bit more to keep the puff in shape. Moisten the top rim of the wrapper with water and bring up the wrapper side closest to you and firmly press to create a half-moon (see page 26 for guidance); the center coil of dough (the belly) should naturally push out a bit like the hinge of a clam shell. Remember to seal each puff well. For extra security, use your thumb and index fingers to form a rope edge (see page 51) or press with the tines of a fork. Place the finished puff on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other wrappers before making and filling the wrappers from the remaining dough.
• Before frying the puffs, put a paper towel-lined platter next to the stove. Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a wok, deep saucepan, or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to about 300°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Frying at an initial low temperature ensures delicate, flaky results; subsequently increasing the heat prevents the puffs from becoming greasy. (If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if it takes about 4 seconds for bubbles to rise to the surface and encircle the chopstick, the oil is ready.) Working in batches of 4 to 6 to prevent crowding, gently slide the puffs into the hot oil and immediately decrease the heat to low to steady the temperature, which will quickly rise. The puffs will bubble slowly at first. Let them fry, occasionally turning gently, moderating the heat as needed to keep the oil temperature around 300°F, for about 3 minutes, or until the puffs are light golden. Raise the heat to medium-high and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until the puffs are golden brown and flaky. Let the temperature hover around 340°F. (If you don't have a thermometer, do the chopstick test a couple of times as the dumplings cook; bubbles that rise after about 1 second signal 340°F.) Use a skimmer to scoop up and transfer the puffs to the platter to drain and cool. Adjust the heat before frying more.
• Allow the puffs to cool for about 5 minutes if you are serving them hot. Or present them to your guests warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate left over puffs for several days and reheat them in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until gently sizzling and heated through.
• Have no shame. Many busy modern Asian cooks turn to ready-made puff pastry for rich treats like curry puffs (page 125) and samosas (page 115). Purchase a package (usually about 1 pound) of puff pastry, the all-butter variety, if you can; puff pastry is usually sold as frozen square sheets, rolled to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Thaw it in the refrigerator.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven according to the package directions (usually 375° to 400°F).
• Work with 1 sheet of pastry at a time. Roll a pastry sheet out to about 10 inches square, if it's smaller than that, and then cut it into four 5-inch squares. Put about 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry puff or samosa filling atop each square, moisten 2 adjoining edges with water, fold the other side over to form a triangle, and press closed. Use the tines of a fork to press on the edges to seal well, then place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Brush with beaten egg, then bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.