Chicken Curry Puffs

Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes + 30 minutes chilling
Total cooking time: 35-45 minutes

Makes about 36

Difficulty: Medium

2 tablespoons oil
400g (13oz) chicken mince
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
3 coriander roots, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 small potato, peeled and very finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves and stems
3 teaspoons soft brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 small red chillies, finely chopped
¼ cup (60ml/2 fl oz) fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
Oil, extra, for deep frying
Chilli sauce or satay sauce, to serve

Pastry:
1½ cups (185g/6oz) plain flour
½ cup (90g/3oz) rice flour
½ teaspoon salt
60g (20z) butter
½ cup (125ml/4 fl oz) coconut milk

1. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the mince and cook over high heat for 3 minutes, or until it is starting to brown. Break up any lumps of mince with a fork as it cooks. Add the crushed garlic, onion, coriander roots, ground turmeric, cumin and coriander, and the potato to the wok. Stir-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the mince and potato are tender.

2. Add the fresh coriander, sugar, pepper, chilli, fish sauce and lime juice. Stir until well combined and most of the liquid has evaporated, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

3. To make the pastry, sift the flours and salt into a medium bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture is fine and crumbly. Make a well in the centre, add the coconut milk and mix with a knife until the mixture forms a dough. Gently knead until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface until it is about 3mm thick, and then cut into circles with an 8cm cutter.

5. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the centre of each circle, brush the edges of the pastry lightly with water and fold over to enclose the filling; press the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough, re-rolling the scraps until the dough and the filling are all used.

6. Heat the oil in a large wok or pan. Do not put too much oil in the wok - it should be only half full. Deep-fry the puffs, in batches, until puffed and browned. Remove from the oil with a wire mesh drainer, slotted spoon or tongs and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with chilli sauce or satay sauce.

Nutrition per puff:
Protein 3.5g; Fat 8g; Carbohydrate 7g; Dietary Fibre 0.5g; Cholesterol 15mg; 463kJ (111kcal)

Note:
If time is short, use about 8 sheets of ready-rolled puff pastry, instead of making the pastry.

Pork Schnitzel with Curry Sauce

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Total cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Difficulty: Medium

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
2 large carrots, cut into 2cm cubes
1 large potato, cut into 2cm cubes
60g (2oz) Japanese curry paste block, broken into small pieces
Flour, for coating
4 x 120g (4oz) pork schnitzels, pounded to 4mm thickness
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150g (5oz) Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
Oil, for deep frying
Pickled ginger, pickled daikon, umeboshi (baby pickled plums), crisp fried onions, to garnish.

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, carrot and potato, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until starting to brown. Add 2 cups (500ml/16 fl oz) water and the curry paste, and stir until the curry paste dissolves and the sauce becomes a smooth consistency. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Season the flour well with salt and pepper. Dip each schnitzel into the flour, shake off any excess and dip into the beaten egg, allowing any excess to drip off. Coat with the Japanese breadcrumbs by pressing each side of the schnitzel firmly into the crumbs on a plate.

3. Fill a deep heavy-based saucepan one-third full of oil and heat to 180°C (350°F) or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds. Cook the schnitzels, one at a time, turning once or twice, for 5 minutes, or until golden brown all over and cooked through. Drain on crumpled paper towels.

4. Slice each schnitzel into 5-6 pieces and arrange, keeping the original shape, over cooked rice. Ladle some of the curry sauce over the schnitzels. Garnish with fried onions and serve with the pickles on the side.

Nutrition per serving
Protein 38g; Fat 22g; Carbohydrate 40g; Dietary Fibre 5g; Cholesterol 150mg; 2145kJ (513kcal)

Note:
Japanese curry is available from Asian grocers as a block or powder.