Curry puffs are a regular item in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine but often are deep fried with the use of home made pastry. Spices should be seen not just as an element to make a meal from scratch but also as a possible way to enhance foods which may have been prepared elsewhere, thus saving time, and to this end this recipe builds on readily available elements from the supermarket. The spice used is a very hot curry blend from Northern Sumatra called Gulai, which shares some of the tastes found in similar Malaysian curries due to the close proximity of these historical trading partners. Normally this hot curry is used with poultry, fish or vegetables but occasionally will be paired with lamb or beef. In the recipe below you could substitute the pulled pork with pulled lamb or beef but I chose the pork because of the basting sauce flavours which tied in nicely with the citrus, ginger, aniseed and cinnamon Asian overtones of the curry.

Ingredients;

4-5 sheets frozen puff pastry

2 x 430g Supermarket pre-cooked Pulled Pork in Apple & BBQ sauce

1 cup assorted frozen vegetables (corn, carrots, peas), diced

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 large onion, cut into small cubes

1 large potato, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh ginger, freshly grated

½ cup fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp My Souk Drawer’s Gulai curry powder

 

Method;

Caramelise the onions with the garlic and ginger in butter and oil then place aside in a bowl. Microwave the potato to cook before mixing in with the onions.

Put the Pork and sauce in a casserole dish and follow the package instructions to finish the cooking (usually 30 minutes at 200 degrees C). Pour off the liquid into the frypan used for the onions, add the Gulai curry powder, and cook on a medium heat to reduce the volume by 1/2. Add back the onions and potatoe and cook slowly until almost all the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated taking care not to catch on the bottom. Turn off the heat and put aside.

Using two forks pull the pork into strands and combine with the curry mixture. Fold in the frozen vegetables and coriander and put aside.

Using a round plastic container or similar, cut approximately 15cm circles of thawed puff pastry from the sheets. Place 1-2 tablespoons of cooled pork mixture slightly to one side of the dividing line on each pastry circle. Brush the lower halfs edge with beaten egg and fold over the pastry edge to edge using a fork to seal and serrate the edges. Place on a lined tray and brush them all over with beaten egg. Cook in a fan forced oven at 200 degrees until golden brown turning over to do the reverse side where possible but taking care not to split the curry puffs.

Serve hot with Kerabu Salad and Garlic Creamy Tzatziki.

 

Ingredients (Kerabu);

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons shredded coconut

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

3 cups bean sprouts

1 green chili, seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp Pul Biber (Aleppo Pepper)

1 small handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons Tamari Soy Sauce

juice of 2 limes

2 teaspoons sugar

1-inch piece ginger, peeled

 

Method;

 

To make the dressing, whisk the fish sauce, Tamari, lime juice, PUl Biber, and sugar together in a large bowl. Grate the ginger into the bowl, discarding the fibrous bits, and mix well.

Scatter the onion over the dressing and mix well, then set aside 5 to 10 minutes. This takes the rawness out of the onion.

Meanwhile, toast the coconut in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring continuously, 
30 to 40 seconds until the coconut turns a lovely golden brown. Tip it onto a plate and 
set aside.

To assemble the salad, add the red pepper, bean sprouts, red chili and mint to the 
onion mixture and toss until all the ingredients are well coated. Transfer to a serving bowl, scatter the roasted coconut over the top and serve immediately.

 

Ingredients & Method (Tzatziki);

300 g Tzatziki tub

1 tablespoon Sour Cream

2 cloves Garlic, crushed

1/2 small handful chives, chopped

 

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl except chives which are used as a garnish.

Ingredients: