How to Cook Malaysian Chicken Curry & Vegetarian Curry Puffs

Someone on Facebook posted about Married At First Sight the other day, and I commented that reality television is anything but real (I’m not generally known to butt into discussions about shows I’ve never watched, by the way). After this Twitch.tv broadcast I came to the conclusion that my livestreams are in fact the new “reality television”.

I don’t think any amount of fabricated drama could have perfectly timed baby Noah to swipe a full jug of water on the floor right as I was giving my intro, so this broadcast will go down in history as the one that opened with Jackie mopping the floor.  

Also,  it seemed like a good idea at the time to put up a “starting soon” screen for 15 minutes before I went live so I could build up anticipation. It turned out to be a great way to haemorrhage an audience, so much so I jumped in after 9 minutes because I was in danger of losing the two remaining people who stayed around.

The following recipes are broken down according to the steps I used in this session –

Basic Malaysian Curry Paste

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 brown onions, peeled and quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 Tbsp minced lemongrass
• 2 Tbsp minced ginger
• 5 Tbsps Malaysian curry powder
• ⅓ cup oil

METHOD:

1. Combine onions and garlic in food processor and blend to a paste.
2. Transfer into a thick-based saucepan or wok, add lemongrass, ginger and curry powder and mix well.
3. Fry for 4-5 minutes until some of the moisture in the onion is reduced. Add oil and fry until oil separates and curry paste is brown.
4. Allow to cool before storing in fridge for up to 4 weeks or in freezer for 6 months.

Malaysian Chicken Curry 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1kg chicken drumsticks
• 1 Tbsp chicken powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 3 cups water
• ½ quantity of curry paste from recipe above

METHOD:

1. Fry the drumsticks with the paste for about 5 minutes.
2. Add all other ingredients and simmer (partially covered with lid) until chicken is cooked through – about 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

 

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Vegetarian Curry Puffs

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 potatoes, diced and steamed
• 1 Tbsp vegetarian seasoning powder (I use a mushroom seasoning)
• 2 Tbsps sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup commercial fried shallots
• ½ quantity of curry paste from recipe above

METHOD:

1. Combine all ingredients and cook until everything is mixed through and the sugar is dissolved. Adjust seasoning as required.
2. Spread contents on pans to cool down to room temperature before use.

Pastry –

Water Dough

INGREDIENTS:

• 480g strong flour
• 75g butter
• 280ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Combine all ingredients in dough mixer and knead to a soft, non-tacky dough.

Butter Dough

INGREDIENTS:

• 200g plain flour
• 150g butter, cut into small pieces

METHOD:

1. Combine flour and butter and mix to a firm consistency (don’t work it too much or it’ll be too soft to use).

To make curry puffs-

1. Pinch butter dough to make small balls about 2cm in diameter.
2. Scoop water dough to make portions about double the size of butter dough balls.
3. Wrap butter dough into water dough. Using a rolling pin, flatten dough into a long strip.
4. Roll up, turn 90 degrees, then roll out again.
5. Roll up into a tube and set aside. Repeat with rest of dough. Cover with cloth or cling wrap to prevent dough from getting crusty.
6. Cut a tube of dough in half per video, roll out into an oval shape the size of your palm (well, my palm).
7. With the non-patterned side facing up, place a tablespoon of filling in the middle, then pleat per video.
8. Keep curry puffs apart or they’ll stick together.
9. Heat oil to 180°C and fry for about 10 minutes or until brown.
10. Remove, drain and serve.