Curry Puffs à la Grandma

 



This weekend I wasn't sleeping well so I watched a few episodes of my favourite Youtube show, Laura In The Kitchen.  Laura has such a warm and fun personality, and her recipes are really good.  It's got me thinking about my life-long dream of having my own tv show - perhaps a back up in case the whole career in environment doesn't end up working out? Or maybe a project for the near future?

 

I really enjoy watching the episodes where Laura is in her native Italy and cooking in her grandmother's kitchen.  I love watching them cook together and share Nonna's signature recipes.  It got me a bit nostalgic of my own family and my grandmother who, too, is an excellent cook.  It's virtually impossible to replicate any of the dishes because a) she doesn't tend to share her recipes (she just feeds us), b) she has a crazy stock of ingredients, most of which I don't even know the names English, let alone where to purchase them, and c) she's (and my grandfather, I've got to give him credit) got some magical skills in the kitchen that no one else really has!

 

My grandma is a very intelligent woman, in all aspects of her life, including in the kitchen.  She is capable of learning quickly and adapting recipes to suit her liking - and they taste great every time.  Such as...

 

 

Curry puffs!  Curry puffs may be found in some Chinese bakeries, and are reminiscent of Indian samosas or Mexican empanadas.  They're a wonderful snack and afternoon pick-me-up.  The recipe is quite simple, but my grandma makes them really well.  And this weekend, I just couldn't stop thinking (and drooling) about curry puffs and how I haven't had one in quite some time.  Unlike most of her other dishes, this is one that I figured I wouldn't need Grandma's exact recipe to make.  So I went ahead and made it according to how I remember its taste, and of course adding a few of my own touches: sweet potato and cumin. 

 

The verdict?

 

Let me just say that I had to quickly pop most of them in the freezer before I scarfed all 30+ morsels of deliciousness.    

Here's to you, Grandma!

Curry Puffs
makes 30-40 small puffs

2 large potatoes, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
oil
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 tbsp cumin seed
3 tbsp curry powder
1 lb minced chicken or turkey
1 egg, beaten
1 cup peas
a handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1 block of puff pastry, thawed.

Boil the potatoes and sweet potato in salted water, until tender.  Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan, add the carrot, onion, garlic, salt, and spices, and sweat for a few minutes, until the vegetables are tender. 
Add the minced meat, and cook until completely cooked through.  Add the cooked potatoes and sweet potato, cook for a few more minutes.  Remove from the heat, and stir in the peas and cilantro. Taste and adjust for seasonings, and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the thaw puff pastry (I cut the block of pastry into smaller pieces for easier rolling) to about 1/8 inch. 
Cut into round pieces (I used a large beer glass).  Add a scoop of filling, fold over the pastry, and close the edges.  Be careful not to overfill!  Use a fork to seal the pastry. 
Brush with the top of the pastry with egg, and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cool slightly before devouring (don't want to burn the roof of your mouth do ya?).

Coconut Profiteroles

A long overdue post, but I had to share this recipe, because it's totally worth the small effort it takes to make these.

I finally gave choux pastry a try a while back, something I'd been meaning to make for ages.  I find it such a fascinating method for making pastry, and wonder who in the world developed the recipe. Choux pastry is a twice-cooked pastry.  You first boil together butter and water (or some recipes call for milk), stir in flour, then beat in several eggs.  You then pipe them on baking sheets and bake in a piping hot oven  until they puff up.  It's really not that tricky to make, but you do have to make sure you're spot on with your timing during the cooking of the batter, and very importantly, ensure that the oven temperature is accurate.  Who wants soggy/deflated puffs?

I also discovered during the process of making the coconut whipped cream filling that heavy cream can, in fact, be frozen and subsequently thawed and whipped pretty nicely.  Just make sure that you give the  heavy cream a good stir.  There is slight grainy texture once it's been whipped, but I added coconut flakes to the mix so no one could really notice.

Yup, I'm one of those people.  I cannot resist peeking into the oven to see how the little guys are doing.

Coconut Choux Pastry
makes 10-12 servings (depending on how many you eat)

6 tbsp coconut oil (that's right, coconut choux!)
1 cup water
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring the coconut oil and water in a pot to gentle boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the flour and mix well.  Place back on high heat and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until a film starts to form on the bottom of the pot.
Remove from the heat, let cool for 30 seconds, then stir in eggs, one at a time.  Mix very well after each addition (you want to incorporate some air to help the pastry to puff up).
One all the eggs are added and well beaten, pipe or spoon the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Each mound of dough was about 2-3 tsp in size, so that I had bite-sized puffs.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned and doubled in size.  Turn off the oven, and use a knife to make a small slit in the side of each puff.  This release the steam and prevents the puffs from deflating.
Let the puffs slowly cool in the oven for 10 minutes, leaving the door open.
Remove from the oven, and let cool on a rack completely before filling.

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp shredded coconut

Whip the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, then stir in the coconut.  This can be prepared a couple of hours ahead of time and stored in the fridge until needed.

Chocolate Glaze

chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark, whichever you prefer)
milk

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or the stovetop, then slowly add, a teaspoon at a time, milk, until the mixture become the desired consistency.  I keep it on a relatively thing side so that I can use a spoon and drizzle the chocolate over the puffs.

To assemble, split the puffs and spoon in the coconut whipped cream (or use a piping bag).  Drizzle with the warm chocolate glaze.  They can be prepared an hour or two before serving, but will get soggy as time passes by.

On a stuffy nose, green tea, and thai curry chicken soup

I'm generally a fairly healthy person.  I can't even remember the last time I was sick.  So imagine my panic when I noticed a slightly runny nose and tingling throat as I woke up Friday morning.  Determined not to reach the point where it can officially be called a "cold," I gulped down a couple glasses of orange juice and drank a bunch of water, but was too late.  The damage had been done.  To make my weekend even better, I mysteriously injured the right side of my hip.  If you've never injured your hip before, I can tell you with confidence that it is really inconvenient; it's incredibly difficult to focus and get any work done, because you can't sit for longer than a few minutes until you feel the pain, and finding a comfortable position lying in bed is nearly impossible.  The last time I felt this pain was back in the summer, after I had sat for too long trying to recover from a bizarre virus that caused my feet to swell - I'll save that story for another time.  Long story short, now I'm hobbling around and drinking tons of green tea with ginger, like a little old lady.  This week is gonna be grrrreat!

Whining aside, I did make a pretty good chicken noodle soup that definitely clears up my sinuses, thanks to the spicy thai red curry that adds a nice kick to the soup.  Bam!

Thai red curry chicken noodle soup
makes 4 servings

2 tsp coconut oil
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
salt
2 tsp red curry paste
2 tsp turmeric
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
5 cups chicken stock
4 cups cooked rice noodles
1/4 cup whipping cream (optional)
juice of 1/2 lime
fresh cilantro, to garnish

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot, then sweat the carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger for 2 minutes.  Add a pinch of salt, followed by the red curry paste and turmeric.
Cook for another minute, then add in the shredded chicken and stock.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10  minutes, until the carrots are cooked.
Add the cooked rice noodles, followed by the whipping and simmer for 3-5 minutes.  Add in the lime juice.   Taste and season if desired.  Serve and garnish with fresh cilantro.