Crispy Deep-Fried Chicken Curry Puffs


Curry puffs are a staple teatime snack in Malaysia and Singapore, along with other tasty favourites such as banana fritters (with chili soy sauce!), sweet potato donuts (and many other deep-fried snacks!). Maybe it's just me, but whenever I'm in Malaysia, I'm constantly eating round the clock - breakfast, mid-morning snack, brunch, lunch, dessert, afternoon tea, evening snack, dinner, snack again followed by supper. Fortunately, there's a wide variety of food to choose from across different cuisines, plus there are different food stalls that operate from early morning till past midnight, and some even over 24 hours. Curry puffs are also known as epok-epok or karipap in Malaysia. I've made various types which you can find here, here and here. The recipe below is another version that uses oil and margarine, which gives it a firmer yet crispy texture, and equally delicious.

According to my mum, the "makcik" (auntie in Malay) selling curry puff in Malaysia told her that in order to get a flaky pastry, you need to "canai" the dough (meaning to flatten out and knead the dough) for about 5 minutes or long enough to incorporate air into the dough. I tried it and it turned out well, though next time, I'll need to test and see if it makes any difference if I didn't "canai" the dough.


Crispy deep-fried curry puffs

Ingredients

Filling:
Click here for recipe.

Pastry:
220g plain flour
25g rice flour
25g tapioca starch
60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
30ml (2 tbsp) margarine
110ml cold water
1/4 tsp salt

Method

Prepare the curry puff filling first (click here for recipe).

After filling is cooked and cooled, prepare the pastry. Combine all the flours in a mixing bowl. Place margarine in a small saucepan and heat until melted and bubbling. Add vegetable oil and heat again until hot. Drizzle the hot oils into the flour and use a spatula to mix through until crumbly and soft. Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt to the cold water and drizzle over the flour mixture. Mix together with hands and start kneading until it forms a soft dough. Place on a flat surface like a wooden board, and knead well Stretch out and flatten the dough and fold over repeatedly, incorporating air into the dough. Do this for about 5 minutes.

Roll out little balls of dough and flatten into a disc. Place the cooked curry filling in the centre of the disc and fold over into a half moon, and pleat the edges with your fingers. If using a curry puff mould, make sure to seal the edges with tapioca starch solution so that the seal doesn't open up when frying.

Heat oil in a wok, pan or deep-fryer, enough for deep frying. When oil is hot (on high heat), add the curry puffs one at a time, fry for a minute and then turn the heat down to medium. Fry in batches, for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Then remove and drain on a wire rack or some absorbent kitchen paper. Serve, enjoy!





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Light and fluffy Ricotta Cheesecake (with homemade ricotta)

Image
I made ricotta cheese. Did you not know you could do that, with only 3 ingredients in less than 10 minutes! And all with curds and whey, I felt like Little Miss Muffet now waiting for a spider to pounce at me. So why make ricotta? Apparently, homemade ricotta gives the cheesecake a fluffier texture, and it did turn out to be light, fluffy and creamy, with a subtle taste of ricotta. I used a gingernut biscuit base just to add some flavour and texture, although you can omit that to make a crustless version. This is not a very sweet cake, unlike your typical New York cheesecake. It's probably closer to a Japanese cheesecake except for the fine graininess of the ricotta. If you like, you can serve it with some berry coulis to satisfy that sweet tooth. I find that the cake tastes best after it has "matured" for up to 3 days in the fridge. The flavours seem to have developed and the texture is somehow creamier too. Ricotta in the making Homemade Ricotta Adapted from Smitten Kit...
Read more

Malaysian Satay Recipe

Image
  Mention the word "satay" and I am instantly reminded of my childhood years and years ago, how the Malay Satay Man would peddle his mobile satay stall on his bicycle in my neighbourhood, tooting his horn. Sometimes, I could even smell the aroma from my house, even though he could be grilling his satay down the road. I would get all excited at the prospect of having satay for dinner, and run to the window to see if I could detect any "smoke" signals in the sky. He made one of the best satays in town, and the fact that he peddled his stall around the neighbourhood meant that we could walk up to him with empty plates and bowls waiting to be filled with freshly made satay. Those were the simple things in life back then, though coming from a foodie family, food was and is a big deal, as to most Malaysians of course. Malaysian Satay is such a luxury item in Sydney. I don't think I've ever ordered satay here before, not when I know it costs multiple times less bac...
Read more

The Ultimate Pad Thai Recipe

Image
I was pretty excited when I saw that Lorraine  had posted this wonderful recipe for Pad Thai on her blog. The photos simply said it all. The almost deep and rich orange hue of the noodles was the sign of a winner and it's as authentic as it gets. None of the dry, pale-looking noodles with dry chunks of chicken meat and scattering of chives, egg and tofu that I usually get in Sydney. For the record, I never order pad thai though Mr TFWL likes to always give it a chance. My preference is still to order pad kee mao (my favourite pad kee mao is from Pom's Thai in Burwood, now Strathfield). Anyway, this is how I like my pad thai - saucy and moist noodles with the right balance of sweet and sour from the tamarind and palm sugar, with saucy bits of egg crumble tossed through the noodles. Notice the key word is saucy. Loving this pad thai sauce and if you make a big batch of it, the rest of the preparation and cooking is a breeze (well, almost!). Thanks  Lorraine  for the recipe!...
Read more