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Curry puffs

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filling adapted from Use Real Butter.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil, or enough to thinly coat pan
  • 1 cup finely diced onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
  • 2–3 tbsp curry powder (see Notes for brands)
  • 1/2 lb ground beef (see Notes for variations)
  • 1/2 tbsp sake or Shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce, or more to taste
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar, or more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp grated ginger (optional, to taste)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lb homemade or storebought puff pastry or pie crust, well-chilled (I used one batch of Sam’s rough puff pastry, which is my personal favorite)

Instructions

  1. If you haven’t already, make your puff pastry and chill in the refrigerator. If using a frozen storebought pastry (or if you’ve made your puff pastry ahead of time and frozen it), remove from the freezer and let thaw while you make the filling. Take care not to let it get too soft — it should be pliable but still slightly cool when the filling is done.
  2. Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the oil in a skillet until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 tbsp of the curry powder and sauté until the onions begin to sweat.
  3. Add the beef and cooking wine, and stir until beef begins to brown. Add the remaining curry powder (you may want to reserve a tablespoon and adjust to your liking later), soy sauce, sugar, grated ginger, and salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned all the way through. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking, then set aside and let cool.
  4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
  5. Roll out the puff pastry to about a 1/8-inch thickness or less. Cut out 3- to 5-inch rounds, rolling scraps as needed until you’re out of dough. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling (or a bit more or less, depending on the size of your dough circles) on each circle of dough, taking care not to overfill (I’m always tempted). Fold the dough in half over the filling to form a semi-circle. Pinch the edges together and pleat or fold as desired. You can refer to Jen’s post for a beautiful braided edge, or you can seal with the tines of a fork. (Or muddle through with something in between, like me!)
  6. Once folded, set the puffs on the parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. They don’t need to be more than an inch or so apart. If you run out of room, place extras in the refrigerator to chill until ready to bake. Beat the egg yolk with a splash of water or milk, and brush it over each pastry. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden-brown. Let cool briefly, and enjoy!

Notes

I think these would work with most any curry powder you can find, although I do love Season with Spice and I think any of their curry powders would work wonderfully. In a pinch, McCormick will do you just fine — in that case, I found a little bit of ginger helped liven the taste a bit. Otherwise, it can get a little heavy. S&B is a solid Asian brand, and if you’re a Golden Curry lover like we are, I suspect a cube or half-cube of Golden Curry with a little bit of water would be delicious!

As for substitutions, I think this would also work wonderfully with diced or ground chicken; you can also add a small potato to the filling, boiled to just tender and diced small.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2016/03/09/curry-puffs/