Curry Puffs are a classic Chinese bakery or dim sum item that has fallen to the wayside a bit. I can't really remember the last time I saw or tasted a really good one while at a dim sum house or rolling through a Chinese bakery for a pineapple bun. Maybe it's because they're just too retro to be cool? Or maybe it's just too troublesome what with the laundry list of delicately folded buns and dumplings that said dim sum houses also have to churn out.
Whatever the reason, we haven't left the Curry Puff behind. After testing a few recipes–some from the internet and some family recipes–we've arrived at the conclusion that strictly from-scratch may not be the best route in this case.
Enter puff pastry.
It's widely available, easy to prep, and its perfectly flaky crispness absorbs the curry flavor of the filling in a delightful way. Chinese Curry Beef Puffs are often traditionally made with a very short pastry dough brushed generously with egg wash to give it that Chinese bakery case sheen. While you're welcome to sub in your favorite pie crust, we highly recommend the puff pastry.
As for the filling, there's a bit of a narrower range of variation, but for Curry Puffs, the devil's in the details, and it's all too easy to end up with a mediocre rather than phenomenal product (see a similar phenomenon at play when it comes to cooking deceptively simple Edamame.
That being said, we've kept the filling for this recipe extremely simple, elevating the flavors of the curry powder and keeping the consistency perfectly thick and gravy-like with some well-applied cornstarch. It was so good that we were all sneaking spoonfuls between baking batches of the puffs. This recipe was actually the mother of our Curry Beef Bowls recipe; so if that was your jam, you should definitely give these puffs a whirl!
The TLDR of this exposition is that we pawned the lion's share of these Curry Beef Puffs off to our neighbors, and they weren't just deemed good–their kids were fighting over them. So yeah. Make 'em.
If you're interested in other Chinese bakery sweets or dim sum dishes, check out our collection of Dim Sum Recipes and Chinese Bakery recipes!
You'll need:
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1½ teaspoons turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 sheets of puff pastry
- Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
In a skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent and just slightly caramelized.
Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook until browned.
Next, add the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, sugar, black pepper, and salt. Stir everything together and allow the mixture to cook for another couple of minutes.
While that's happening, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the beef broth with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Stir the slurry into the beef mixture and simmer for a few minutes, until the entire mixture has thickened. You'll know it's ready when there's no more pooling liquid––just a very viscous curry beef!
Transfer the beef mixture to a bowl and allow to cool.
Once the filling has cooled, take your puff pastry out of the freezer and defrost for about 35-40 minutes–no more. Unfold each puff pastry sheet, and cut each one into 9 squares.
Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling onto each square, and fold diagonally to form a triangle, pressing the edges together.
Crimp the edges with a fork and transfer to a baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining squares of puff pastry. You'll need two baking sheets.
When the puffs are formed, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. When the oven is preheated, remove the puffs from the refrigerator, and brush with egg wash.
Bake the puffs (one sheet at a time) for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before attempting to eat, as the filling will be very hot!
And if you don't finish these in one sitting, they can be reinvigorated by a quick re-heat in a toaster oven.
Curry Puffs
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons curry powder
1½ teaspoons turmeric
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 sheets of puff pastry
Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
In a skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent and just slightly caramelized.
Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook until browned. Next, add the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, sugar, black pepper, and salt. Stir everything together and allow the mixture to cook for another couple of minutes.
While that's happening, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the beef broth with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Stir the slurry into the beef mixture and simmer for a few minutes, until the entire mixture has thickened. You'll know it's ready when there's no more pooling liquid––just a very viscous curry beef! Transfer the beef mixture to a bowl and allow to cool.
Once the filling has cooled, take your puff pastry out of the freezer and defrost for about 35-40 minutes--no more. Unfold each puff pastry sheet, and cut each one into 9 squares.
Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling onto each square, and fold diagonally to form a triangle, pressing the edges together. Crimp the edges with a fork and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares of puff pastry. You'll need two baking sheets.
When the puffs are formed, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. When the oven is preheated, remove the puffs from the refrigerator, and brush with egg wash. Bake the puffs (one sheet at a time) for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before attempting to eat, as the filling will be very hot! And if you don't finish these in one sitting, they can be reinvigorated by a quick re-heat in a toaster oven.
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