Crispy Curry Puffs Recipe Recipe For Shrimp

INDIAN SHRIMP CURRY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook the onion in the hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow it to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and ground chile (see Note) to the onion and stir over low heat. Pour the tomatoes and coconut milk into the skillet; season with salt.
• Cook the mixture at a simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir the shrimp, fresh cilantro, and dried cilantro into the sauce mixture; cook another 1 minute before serving.

CREAM PUFFS WITH CURRIED SHRIMP

Steps:

• Cut the shrimp into half-inch or slightly smaller pieces. There should be about one and one-quarter cups. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the curry powder and stir to blend.
• Add the cream and chutney and cook down to about half a cup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, one or two minutes or until the shrimp lose their raw look throughout.
• Slice off the tops of all the cream puffs. Spoon an equal portion of the mixture into each cream-puff bottom. Replace the tops and serve.

CHICKEN CURRY PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in coriander, turmeric, cumin, and curry powder. Cook a few seconds until fragrant. Pour in coconut milk, onions, lemon grass, and red pepper; cook until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in potato and continue cooking for 12 minutes, adding more coconut milk if the mixture becomes too dry. Stir in the chicken, then season with salt. Cook and stir until chicken and potato has absorbed most of the liquid, then spread mixture on a plate to cool.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Unfold puff pastry and cut each sheet into 9 squares. Place heaping spoonfuls of the filling in the center of each square. Gather all 4 corners of the pastry and pinch together at the top, forming a small pouch. Place each pastry on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 22 to 27 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CURRY PUFFS

Steps:

• If the dough was refrigerated for longer than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature until it is malleable. Working on an unfloured or very lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough into an 11-inch square. This is easier to do if you work the rolling pin from the midline toward the top or bottom edge, and then roll back to the midline. Use both hands to lift up the edge closest to you and roll it all the way up to the top to form a cylinder. Roll the cylinder to even it out and lengthen it to about 12 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Cut the dough cylinder crosswise into 12 pieces, then use the palm and heel of your hand to flatten each dough piece into a 1/4-inch-thick disk.
• Work with half of the dough pieces at a time and keep the others covered with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Use a skinny Asian rolling pin (dowel) to roll each dough piece into a circle, a good 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Aim for a wrapper with a 1-inch-wide belly; the edge should be thinner than the middle. (For guidance, see "Forming Wrappers from Basic Dumpling Dough," step 5, page 24.)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To assemble a puff, hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand. Use a spoon to put about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle, spreading out the filling a bit to make shaping the puff easier and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. As you work, your hand should naturally close a bit more to keep the puff in shape. Moisten the top rim of the wrapper with water and bring up the wrapper side closest to you and firmly press to create a half-moon (see page 26 for guidance); the center coil of dough (the belly) should naturally push out a bit like the hinge of a clam shell. Remember to seal each puff well. For extra security, use your thumb and index fingers to form a rope edge (see page 51) or press with the tines of a fork. Place the finished puff on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other wrappers before making and filling the wrappers from the remaining dough.
• Before frying the puffs, put a paper towel-lined platter next to the stove. Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a wok, deep saucepan, or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to about 300°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Frying at an initial low temperature ensures delicate, flaky results; subsequently increasing the heat prevents the puffs from becoming greasy. (If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if it takes about 4 seconds for bubbles to rise to the surface and encircle the chopstick, the oil is ready.) Working in batches of 4 to 6 to prevent crowding, gently slide the puffs into the hot oil and immediately decrease the heat to low to steady the temperature, which will quickly rise. The puffs will bubble slowly at first. Let them fry, occasionally turning gently, moderating the heat as needed to keep the oil temperature around 300°F, for about 3 minutes, or until the puffs are light golden. Raise the heat to medium-high and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until the puffs are golden brown and flaky. Let the temperature hover around 340°F. (If you don't have a thermometer, do the chopstick test a couple of times as the dumplings cook; bubbles that rise after about 1 second signal 340°F.) Use a skimmer to scoop up and transfer the puffs to the platter to drain and cool. Adjust the heat before frying more.
• Allow the puffs to cool for about 5 minutes if you are serving them hot. Or present them to your guests warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate left over puffs for several days and reheat them in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until gently sizzling and heated through.
• Have no shame. Many busy modern Asian cooks turn to ready-made puff pastry for rich treats like curry puffs (page 125) and samosas (page 115). Purchase a package (usually about 1 pound) of puff pastry, the all-butter variety, if you can; puff pastry is usually sold as frozen square sheets, rolled to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Thaw it in the refrigerator.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven according to the package directions (usually 375° to 400°F).
• Work with 1 sheet of pastry at a time. Roll a pastry sheet out to about 10 inches square, if it's smaller than that, and then cut it into four 5-inch squares. Put about 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry puff or samosa filling atop each square, moisten 2 adjoining edges with water, fold the other side over to form a triangle, and press closed. Use the tines of a fork to press on the edges to seal well, then place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Brush with beaten egg, then bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

CRISP CURRIED SHRIMP

Steps:

• In a bowl stir together flour, curry powder, cayenne, and salt to taste. Add shrimp to flour mixture, tossing to coat.
• In a large heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté scallions until well browned and almost tender.
• Add shrimp to scallions and sauté, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque throughout.
• Serve shrimp with lemon.