Chinese Curry Puffs With Beef

CHINESE CURRY PUFFS WITH BEEF

Flaky pastry and a flavorful beef curry filling come together in these Chinese curry puffs, a delectable dim lunch or bakery delicacy. These are fantastic, whether serving as an appetizer, side dish, or quick snack.

In addition, they can be produced in advance and cooked “on demand” anytime you’d like to savor them.

If you want to save time, you can make your own puff pastry from scratch or buy pre-made puff pastry.

A DISAPPEARING CLASSIC

As a Chinese bakery or dim sum delicacy, curry puffs have slightly fallen out of favor. In the past few years, I haven’t seen or tasted a truly exceptional one, whether dining at a dim sum restaurant or browsing a Chinese bakery.

Possibly because they’re too retro to be fashionable? Or perhaps it’s just too much bother, given the endless supply of perfectly folded buns and dumplings that dim sum restaurants must also produce.

Whatever the case may be, the Curry Puff has not been forgotten.

PUFF PASTRY OPTIONS

Cooks in China traditionally use short pastry dough sprayed lavishly with egg wash to achieve the distinctive sheen of a Chinese bakery case.

Puff pastry is required to make this dish. Both commercially available puff pastry and a homemade rough puff are options.

Using store-bought puff pastry is simple, and the flaky, crisp texture absorbs the curry flavor of the filling nicely. All-butter frozen puff pastry is available, however, some kinds contain artificial additives.

On the other hand, our homemade rough puff pastry recipe will make these puffs even better!

THE CURRY PUFF FILLING

It’s easier to make Curry Puffs with a mediocre filling than it is with a fantastic one, but the devil is in the details, and it’s easy to end up with a mediocre product rather than a fantastic one.

This recipe’s filling is made with just a few simple ingredients: curry powder and well-applied cornstarch, which thickens and gravies the sauce to a precise consistency.

Between baking batches of puffs, we dipped spoonfuls into the sauce. If you’re a fan of our Curry Beef Bowls recipe, you should also give these puffs a spin!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• 1 finely diced large onion
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup of beef broth
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of curry powder
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1½ teaspoons of turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. A skillet or wok should heat the oil over medium-high heat. When transparent and just starting to caramelize, add the onions and garlic.
2. With a spatula, add the ground beef, breaking it up as you go. Brown food in the oven. Add the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, sugar, salt, and black pepper afterward. After combining everything, let the dish a few more minutes to cook.
3. While that is going on, prepare a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tablespoon of beef broth with cornstarch. When the entire mixture has thickened, stir the slurry into the meat mixture and boil for a few minutes. When the liquid stops pooling and all that’s left is a very thick curry meat, you’ll know it’s cooked. The beef mixture should be transferred to a bowl and left to cool.
4. Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it defrost for no more than 35 to 40 minutes after the filling has cooled. Each puff pastry sheet should be unfolded before being cut into nine squares.
5. Give each square a generous 3 tablespoons of filling, then fold each square into a triangle by pressing the corners together. With a fork, crimp the edges, then move to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry squares. There are two baking sheets required.
6. Once the puffs have formed, place them in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes while you preheat your oven at 400 degrees F. Remove the puffs from the fridge and brush them with egg wash once the oven is ready. Before consuming the puffs, let them cool for 10-15 minutes since the filling will be very hot. Puffs should be baked for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown, one sheet at a time. If you don’t consume all of these at once, a brief reheat in a toaster oven will revive them.