Curry Pok

Find the picture familiar? No, that is not the ancient form of Curry Pok. =P It is an advertisement card, featuring different types of Empanada I ripped off this site. The truth is Curry Pok (pronounced as "ka li pok" locally), is merely a type of turnover pastry with dozens similar "cousins" all over the world. Empanada is just one of them although wikipedia suggested that Curry "Puff" aka epok-epok aka karipap, evolved from it. Along with Empanada, there's the Scottish Bridie, the Jamaican Patty, the British Pasty, the Italian Panzarotti and its gigantic Calzone but I doubt this is an exhaustive list! If you have been to Southeast Asia, this is our version of the popular turnover! It may be of a slightly different shape or with a different filling but you might see it in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia or even Vietnam!

Personally, to qualify as a "puff", the pastry obviously has to be a puff pastry. But the one we're talking about, is the one you can probably buy from the Malay stall in the morning (or any time of the day), the one with the piping hot curried potatoes, the one with the deep-fried crispy skin! It should really be called Curry Pok, you know.... e-pok-epok, Curry "puff" just doesn't do it justice. It is good as breakfast or tea time, heck it is good as a snack anytime!

The following is my recipe, feel free to modify and adjust to your liking.

Curry Pok (咖哩角)
(Please credit if you've enjoyed it. Thank you!)

Filling
 300g     Chicken breast, diced 1cm
 500g     Potatoes, diced 1cm
 100g     Onions and/or Shallots, diced finely (not minced)
   70g     Curry Paste
   15g     Chili Paste (or more if you like it spicy)
  1 tsp    Ground Tumeric
1/2tsp    Ground Cumin
   60g     Milk or Coconut Milk
    5       Hard Boiled Eggs, cut into 1/8 slices

1. Sauté Onions and/or Shallots over Medium heat till translucent. Add in the Curry Paste, Chili Paste, Ground Tumeric and Ground Cumin. Fry till the mixture becomes fragrant (or no longer stings your eyes and assaults your nose =P).

2. Add in the Chicken and Potatoes, mix with the curry paste mixture before adding the Milk/Coconut Milk. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely before assembly.

Pastry
500g     All-Purpose Flour

180g     Water (more or less, depending on room temperature and humidity)

100g     Butter, unsalted 

  70g     Shortening

Pinch of Salt

You can replace the shortening with butter, but shortening will help provides the flakiness. You can also replace the butter with shortening, although I don't recommend that as butter gives the dough flavour. And if you're looking for the Spiral Curry Puff, by now you should realize you're in the wrong place. =P

1. Cut the Butter and/or Shortening into flour till it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add COLD water slowly and mix along till the dough just comes together. If using a food processor, pulse the Butter and/or Shortening for a couple of times till it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, slowly add the cold water and pulse till the dough just comes together.

2. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Knead the dough a few times on a floured top or press it a few times with a rolling pin to soften it. You may:

• Roll the dough into 0.25cm thickness and cut out 10 cm diameter circles with a pastry/cookie cutter (or just with a bowl)
• Pinch out balls of 30-40g dough and individually roll them into circles using a rolling pin or your fingers and palm.

4. Put a slice of hard boiled egg in the middle of the circle and place a tablespoonful of completely cooled filling on top. Fold the pastry in half, into a semi-circle. Pinch one end of the dough and push it down towards the filling, pinch and push, pinch and push to the other end to get this wave form. Alternatively, you can crimp the edges with a fork although "traditionally" in local sense, that denotes a sardine filling. 

5. Deep fry these babies in Medium-High heat oil till golden brown. Or bake them for 20-25 minutes at 200ºC (400ºF) till they turn golden brown. If baking, you may egg wash them for better colour but don't do that if you're frying them! 

Munch into them while they're hot!!! Enjoy. =D

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