Curry Puff (Karipap)

Today is the Czech girls last day in our lab, so we decided to throw another lunch party. Prepared some beef curry puffs for everybody. I think Zumla finished 5 or 6 pieces. She obviously liked it sooo much and Katka finished the last piece. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

1 kg plain flour

200 g margerine/ butter

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

The filling

1/2 kg mince meat

3 tbs curry or korma powder

1/2 Holland onion- chopped

1 Holland onion- diced

3 garlic- crushed

1/2 inch ginger-crushed

salt, white pepper, a dash of sugar

5 potatoes- diced to 1/2 cm small

Methods:

1. Fry the chopped onion, garlic, ginger.

2. Add the curry powder, then add 1/2 cup of water.

3. Add the mince meat, fry for 5 minutes then add the diced potatoes and 1 cup of water.

4. Add diced onion. Cover the pot with a lid and let the potatoes soften.

5. Season with salt and pepper. I also sprinkled some sugar. Set aside to cool down.

6. Mix the flour, butter, salt and water together to form a dough.

7. Flatten the dough to about 3-4 mm thick with a rolling pin.

8. Using a pastry round cutter, make several circles and place the meat and potato filling on each pastry and fold it into two.

9. Press the edges of the pastry firmly to make sure there is no filling leakage.

10. Make a plait at the edges using the tip of your thumb and index finger.

11. Deep fry till the pastry turns brown in colour. Serve hot with tea/ coffee.

Kuih Cara Berlauk (Cara cake with meat filling)

It was Naheema's 28th birthday on the 8th of June, so we, the Paul Murray Group decided to throw a small party for her. Naheema herself bought some halal BBQ chicken from Costco and she also prepared some salads. Others brought cakes, starters, strawberries, cookies and dips. I wanted to introduce to my lab mates another Malaysian delicacy and after minimal thinking , I thought kuih cara would be the best for a small party like this. Started preparing the meat filling the night before and made the batter in the morning. I would say everyone enjoyed the party and the food of course.

Kuih Cara (Savoury cake with Meat Filling)

Ingredients:
For the fillings:
1/2 kg mince meat
1 Holland onion
3 garlic
1/2 inch ginger
1 carrot- diced
1 celery stick- diced
1 green/ red pepper
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbs curry powder
fried shallots- optional
parsley/ celery leaves- optional

For the batter
2 cups flour
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups water (adjust to get a thin batter)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1 or 2 eggs

Methods:
1.Place all the ingredients for the batter in the blender and whizzz. Pour the thin batter into a jug.
2. For the meat fillings: Fry onion, garlic, ginger till yellow and add curry powder and 1/2 cup of water.
3. After a few minutes, add the mince meat and fry till meat is cooked then add carrots, celery, green pepper.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Put aside.
5. Place the cara mould on the stove, brush the mould with some oil so the batter will not stick.
6. Once the mould is heated up, pour the batter into it and quickly spoon the meat filling into it.
7. Sprinkle some fried onion and chopped parsley leaves on the fillings.
8. Cover the mould with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Remove the cakes from the mould and serve. Repeat steps 5 to 8 till the batter is finished.

* I think you can also bake this dish in the oven, but I somehow have never tried it myself.