Chicken puffs

I am always in the mood to experiment on Thursday nights and most of what I try comes out pretty decent . Last Thursday was no exception. I had some puff pastry square packet waiting for attention in my fridge and I decided to attack them for dinner and that means I was supposed to be using my new oven again for baking. Quite excited about it.

I accompanied it with some spicy stir-fry soup. Strange combo, you'd think. It was excellent, especially the use of the stir-fried vegetables which I think had made it to the top 10 list of things I'd like to eat every other day.

Anything stir-fried produces an aroma which immediately triggers a terrific appetizing reaction in me. From noodles to fried rice and soups and side dishes, stir-fried stuff is something that I love to cook everyday. I have noticed that Chinese and Thai food has many dishes that ought to be stir-fried and they all taste heavenly.

Coming to today's recipe- I usually keep a packet of puff pastry squares in the freezer or a loaf of sandwich bread handy to prepare rolls or quick-fix pizzas or plain puffs with a filling for entertaining or whenever you fancy a delightful bite. So get ready to bite into buttery puffs and for me they are the best bakes on the block.

Once you prepare the filling, the oven looks after the rest of the work and you can relax while they get baked. Vegetarians can omit the chicken and use more vegetables or potatoes for a vegan dish.

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling:

2 cups chicken, pressure cooked to 2 whistles and shredded

2 tablespoon oil

2 cups onion, finely sliced

1 ½ medium tomato, chopped

1/3 cup coriander, chopped

handful curry leaves, torn to small pieces

1 green chili, sliced

1/3 cup green beans, finely sliced

1/3 cup carrot, finely grated

3 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 ½ tsp chili powder

1 ½ tsp garam masala powder

pinch turmeric

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp pepper powder

Juice of one small lime

Salt to taste

 

HOW TO MAKE:

For the Filling:

1) Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a frying pan and add onions and stir-fry until the onions become translucent and a bit brown.

2) Add ginger–garlic paste, sliced chili and curry leaves and cook for 1 minute, before adding the tomatoes. Cook tomatoes until they look soft.

3)  Then add carrot and bean and stir-fry for 2 minutes. 

4) Add in turmeric, coriander, chili, fennel and pepper powders and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt.

5) Now, tip in the minced meat; add garam masala and lime juice and stir fry everything together for 3-4 minutes adding some water to keep it moist.

6) Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and switch off the stove.

For the Puffs:

 

10 square puff pastry, thawed (I generally use Alkaramah)

1 egg, beaten

Filling, as needed

How to make :

 

1) Thaw the pastry squares, separating the sheets and laying them on a tray lined with parchment paper, at room temperature. Thaw until completely and evenly moist, but not dry. Maximum of one hour usually. 

2) Preheat the oven to 200^oC.

3) Trim the sides of the pastry with a sharp knife, to make smaller squares.

4) For rectangular shapes, spread the mixture lengthwise over half of the dough to within ½ inch of edges. Then, fold dough over the filling, and pinch or press the edges together to seal. Use a fork, if you like.

5) For triangular shapes, place the square puff and upon it place the filling diagonally. Fold it over for the triangular shape and use a fork to seal the edges.

6) Arrange the puffs on a baking tray and brush the beaten egg on each puff.

7) Bake in a pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden color.

8) Serve hot.