If you know me, you know that I have a riduculous amount of cookbooks. They line the bookscases in many-a-room of my house. They take up real estate via large plastic tubs in my basement. They're stacked on end tables, and maybe even my kitchen table. I read them like novels and can pretty much always find something useful in every one. Some are tattered and loved, others are basically uncracked.
My first step? Trying to pair up one of those books with Haley from Cheap Recipe Blog. I really wanted to send her a book that fit her style, a book that she could get some use from. How did I do? You can find out here!
My second step? To
The big reveal? The Food of Asia: Fabulous recipes from every corner of Asia was sent to me by Tara from Tara's Multicultural Table. Tara noticed that I often share international food and recipes on the blog, and thought this would be a good fit. Indeed it is, thank you Tara!
I decided on these Curry Puffs. Basically, little parcels stuffed with curry-spiced chicken breast, potatoes, and caramelized onions - and then deep-fried. Street food at its finest! These are smaller than an empanada and even a samosa, so they're perfect for appetizers. Or you could just pile them on a plate, concoct a dipping sauce, share them with someone, and call them lunch.
Guess what I did? Yeah...lunch.
Curry Puffs
by
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes (+ 30 minutes un
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: fry appetizer snack chicken potatoes Indian
Ingredients (4 dozen puffs)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced small
- 2 medium potatoes, cooked & diced small
- 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- just over 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- vegetable or peanut oil
Instructions
make the filling:
Heat the oil (5 tablespoons seems like a lot, but it's necessary once the chicken and potatoes are added in) over medium and fry the onion gently until they are lightly caramelized, ~10 minutes. Add curry powder, paprika, and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add chicken, potatoes, sugar, and about 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside to cool.
Combine flour, butter, water, and salt in a large bowl and mix with a hand-mixer until crumbs form. Use your hands to knead everything together until you have a smooth dough. If it seems dry, dribble in a little bit of water and knead until pliable. Wrap in plastic and let sit for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (this makes for less re-rolling which makes the dough tougher). Wrap the pieces you're not using, and roll one piece out until it is about 1/8th-inch thick. Use a large round cutter (3-4 inches) to cut out rounds. Place a scant tablespoon of filling in the center of each round. Dip your finger in a little water and run it around the outer edge of the dough. Fold pastry over to make a half circle and crimp the edges to hold the filling inside. Set on a tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you've used all the dough.
Heat about 2-inches of oil to 350° F. Fry in batches until deeply golden, 2-3 minutes, taking care not to crowd the pan. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray. Serve warm, with a dipping sauce, if you like.
-adapted from The Food of Asia by Kong Foong Ling
The Food Blogger Cookbook Swap is a unique way for bloggers to meet and connect by choosing a new or like-new cookbook from their own collection, and sending it to somebody else. Each person sends and receives a cookbook, but you don't know who sent you yours until you receive it. So much fun! Thanks so much to Alyssa and Faith for putting this together, and to Tara for sending me a new one for my collection, The Food of Asia!
If you'd like to see what books all of the bloggers who participated sent and received, here's the list:
A Baker's House ● Blue Kale Road ● Blueberries And Blessings ● Cheap Recipe Blog ● Confessions of a Culinary Diva ● Create Amazing Meals ● Cucina Kristina ● Culinary Adventures with Camilla ● Cupcake Project ● Dinner is Served 1972 ● Done With Corn ● Eats Well With Others ● Everyday Maven ● Flour Me With Love ● From My Sweet Heart ● girlichef ● Great Food 360° ● Healthy. Delicious. ● I'm Gonna Cook That! ● Je Mange la Ville ● Karen's Kitchen Stories ● Kitchen Treaty ● Olive and Herb ● OnTheMove-In The Galley ● Our Best Bites ● Paleo Gone Sassy ● poet in the pantry ● Rhubarb and Honey ● Rocky Mountain Cooking ● Shikha la mode ● Shockingly Delicious ● Sifting Focus ● Spiceroots ● Spoonful of Flavor ● Tara's Multicultural Table ● The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler ● The Suburban Soapbox ● The Whole Family's Food
