Curry Puffs

By lorik

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 4 russet potatoes (for vegans, add 2 additional potatoes or sweet potatoes, if desired)
• ¾ lb ground beef
• 1 red onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• 4 tbsp masala curry powder
• ½ c water
• salt to taste
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ c cold water
• 6 c all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ c ghee, melted*
• For Frying:
• 1 ½ c vegetable or canola oil

Details

Servings 2
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from

Preparation

Step 1

To make the filling: Bring a medium-size pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and continue to boil them for 10 minutes or until they feel a bit tender but no longer raw. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to cool. Once they're cool enough to handle, peel and cut them into small cubes. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until it has turned brown. Drain the fat from the beef and transfer the beef to a bowl. Set aside.

Add the garlic, ginger, and red onion to the bowl of a food processor and process until blended into a chunky paste. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil and ghee (or an additional 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil if you're making vegan puffs) in a skillet over medium heat. Add the curry leaves and sauté them for 2 minutes or until they're lightly browned. Using a colander, drain the oil into a small bowl, discarding the leaves. Return the oil to the skillet, and add the curry powder and garlic, ginger, and red onion mixture. Sauté for 3 minutes or until brown. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat them with the spices. Cook until the potatoes soften, about 5 to 7 minutes, then add the ground beef and stir to combine.

Pour the water into the skillet and generously season the filling with salt. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the filling to a bowl to allow it to cool.

To make the crust: Combine the salt and cold water in a measuring cup and stir until the salt dissolves.

Measure the flour into a large bowl. Gradually add the salt water, mixing it into the flour with your hands. Add the melted ghee or margarine, mixing it in with your hands. If the dough feels too wet, add more flour. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Knead the dough in the bowl or on a clean, lightly floured surface until it's smooth. Divide the dough into equally portioned golf ball-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet. Cover them with cling wrap and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

To form the curry puffs: On a clean, lightly floured surface, flatten each dough ball with a rolling pin until it's about 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Flattened dough circles should be about 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Make sure it’s not too thin, or else the filling will burst out while you’re forming the puffs. If it shrinks, spread it out gently with your fingers.

Place about 1½ to 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of the flattened dough. Fold the dough over the filling into a semicircle and seal it by pinching, folding, and crimping the edges. Alternatively, for a quicker and easier method, you can seal and crimp them by pressing the edges with a fork. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

To fry the curry puffs: Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and line a metal strainer with paper towels. Carefully lower the curry puffs, 4 at a time, into the hot oil. Fry them over medium heat, turning once, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Remove to the metal strainer and drain.