Baked Beef Curry Puffs

Baked these deliciousness last night – mouthwatering, flavorful beef and potato curry filling encased in crispy, buttery pastry – the combination is absolutely heady! Indulge with family and friends or freeze for future treats because you would not be able to stop at just one or two or even three. :) Enjoy!

Make the filling
2 heads garlic (about 2 to 2-1/2 ounces EACH before trimming), peeled
1-1/2 inch ginger (about 1-1/2 ounces before trimming), peeled and cut into small chunks
1 large onion or several small onions (about 13 to 15 ounces total before trimming), peeled and cut into small chunks
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 packet Yeo’s Malaysian Curry Powder (1.76 ounces)
2 pounds ground beef (I use at least 85% lean)
1 pound Ore Ida Diced Hash Brown Potatoes (in the frozen section)
2 teaspoons salt

1. Place garlic, ginger, and onion chunks in the work bowl of food processor; process until finely minced, stopping as necessary to scrape down sides of bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add processed mixture, cook, stirring frequently until fragrant and no longer raw (but not browned), about 10 minutes maybe (mixture will look cooked). Then, add the curry powder and continue to cook for another minute or two.
3. Add ground beef. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, breaking up chunks of meat, and making sure it is thoroughly coated with the curry paste.
4. Once ground beef is fully cooked, add hash brown potatoes (do not thaw) and stir to distribute evenly. Turn off heat. Note: Potatoes do not have to be fully cooked at this point as they will be cooked further in the pastry.
5. Add salt. Cool thoroughly before filling the pastry. Makes approximately 25 medium to large curry puffs.

Make the pastry
*If you plan to use up all the filling, you will need to TRIPLE the pastry recipe.
10 ounces all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces butter melted with 1 tablespoon water

1. Combine flour, salt, and butter-water combination and mix well, rubbing the butter into the flour.
2. Slowly add water, up to 6 tablespoons, gathering the flour together. Aim for a medium-soft dough.
3. Knead the dough for several minutes and make a ball. Cover with plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes or longer.

Note: I want to say that the pastry recipe came from The Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon (for some reason, that name comes to mind) but I’m not completely certain as it has been over 20 years since I wrote it down.

Make the curry puff
1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat your oven to 400F.
2. Portion the dough (I use an ice-cream scoop) – when working with a portion, I keep the rest of the dough covered so it won’t dry out.
3. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick or alternatively, shape the dough into a rough circle by flattening and stretching the dough as thinly as possible without tearing it.
4. Place a heaping quarter cup of filling over half the dough (leaving a 1/2 inch margin on the edge), and fold the other half over it.
5. Pinch the edges firmly together to seal. Then, pleat the edges (as shown in the photos).
6. Bake the curry puffs for 15-20 minutes, turn and continue to bake for another 8-10 minutes until both sides are golden brown. Transfer to a plate and serve hot/warm. To reheat leftovers, bake for about 20 minutes in a 350F oven or longer if curry puffs are frozen.