Singapore Curry Puffs

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for puff pastry

• 1 cup "All Purpose Flour"
• 2 eggs (set 1 aside and beat lightly)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup cold water
  
  
• 5 tbs corn oil
• 1 medium size red onion - chopped
• 8 oz lean beef - minced (alternative: chicken)
• 2 carrots - grated
• 1 parship - grated
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 2/3 cups beef stock (chicken if using minched chicken)
• Enough vegetable oil for deep frying

TIP: You can also alternate the carrots and parship by subsituting potatoes. Chopped them into tiny bite sizes, toss them into a pan with oil and lightly browned them. Then add your meat.

• Sift flour into a bowl
• Make a well in center and add egg
• Gradually stir in milk and beat well until smooth
• Stir in cold water and beat well
• Pour batter into a pitcher, set aside
• Heat a little oil in a small skillet and pour off excess
• Pour a little batter into skillet, swirling skillet to spread batter evenly over bottom to make a thin coating
• Fry until 1 side is golden brown then flip over to do the same
• Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil pan each time, to make 8 pancakes

To prepare fillings:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan adding onions, parsnip and curry powder
• Cook gently 5 minutes, stirring constantly
• Add tomato paste and mix well
• Blend cornstarch with a little stock
• Add remaining stock to ground beef mixture and bring to a boil
• Add corn starch mixture and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly
• Simmer mixture 10 minutes
• Lay pancakes, cooked-sides up, on a flat surface
• Spread filling in a 2" horizontal lines across center to within 1-1/2" of side edges
• Fold these side edges over mixture and then fold remaining top and bottom edges over to cover filling
• Brush with egg and fold pancakes in half
• Chill for about 1 hour
• Half fill a deep fat fryer or saucepan with oil
• Fry folded pancakes, 4 at a time, 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and heated through
• Drain on paper towel
• Serve on an attractive flat plate, garnish with carrot strips if desired

TIP: There are times when I'm quite pressed for time and have no time (nor energy) to make the pancakes. Some Asian grocery stores have Chinese fillo pastries which works just as well. Instead of frying, choose a healthier alternative by baking in the oven. As for the fillings, anything goes so you can make vegetarian curry puffs as well.

I have some success using normal puff pastries from North American grocery stores as well.