Recipe: Curry Puffs

Originally, this recipe was created to be a fun variation on Abuelita's empanadas, which we were like to make and stock in the freezer at the start of the semester. Think about it: no utensils needed, no plate even... just a curry puff, napkin, and probably a glass of water to curb the heat. Plus, we just love curries.

In this recipe's original incarnation, we used a recipe for a normal pie crust, which we would roll out and cut circles for filling. We even cheated once when we ran out of time/flour and used some pre-made pie crust -- it came out pretty decent too. However, none of the previous incarnations can touch the awesomeness of this one, which uses puff pasty.

In this recipe, we cheated a little and used prepared puff pastry, which we had accidentally grabbed instead of a box of phyllo at a previous visit to Phoenicia (oops!). You will need to make the puff filling slightly spicier than you would normally like your Thai curries, as the puff will absorb some of the heat.

Curry Puffs

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (we used Halal dark meat this time), cut into thumbnail-size pieces

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 can prepared Thai red curry paste, about 3 tablespoons (although it tastes awesome with yellow or green curry too)

1/2 can coconut milk

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup sliced button or cremini mushrooms, chopped

4 large green onions, sliced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 package pre-cut puff pastry squares (about three inches; if you can't find them, cut up a sheet of puff pastry to the same size)

Preheat oven to 375. In a wok or pan of your choice, heat oil over med high heat. Add garlic, and stir fry until fragrant. Add chicken, and cook until all the visible pink is gone. Spoon out all liquid from the pan. Toss in the peas, mushrooms, green onions, and half of the curry paste, and stir-fry until the mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, sugar, and the rest of the curry paste, and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring constantly, to reduce the liquid a little. This should be a relatively thick mixture, unlike your normal curries.

Lay out the pastry squares on a cookie sheet lined with lightly greased wax paper. Moisten two adjacent edges with a little water. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each square, and fold in half diagonally so that the two wet edges are on the bottom. Press the edges together. Repeat with the rest of the squares and filling. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the triangles are puffy and golden brown.

Enjoy, or freeze for later.