Sweet Potato Curry Puffs

By Carol Selva Rajah, Malaysian Cooking: A Master Cook Reveals Her Best Recipes

A twist on the familiar vegetarian curry puffs, this great party dish is a pure vegetarian version with rich mint and onion aromas that are released with each bite into a savoury parcel. Serve the puffs with Mint Chutney if you like.

makes: 27 puffs
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 40 mins

3 sheets frozen puff pastry (24 cm/91/2 in), thawed
1 egg, beaten

sweet potato filling
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 small onion, minced
2 sweet potatoes (300 g/10 oz) peeled and diced to yield 2 cups, then blanched until soft
100 g (1 cup) finely sliced green beans or fresh or frozen green peas
1 tablespoon chopped Vietnamese mint
11/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
11/2 teaspoons salt

Prepare the Sweet Potato Filling first by heating the oil in a wok and stir-frying the garlic and ginger over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion and stir-fry until transparent. Stir in the blanched sweet potato, green beans or peas, Vietnamese mint and curry powder. Add the water. Cook the ingredients for about 2 minutes, season with the ground red pepper, sugar and salt. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C (360˚F). On a lightly floured work surface, cut each puff pastry sheet into 9 equal squares. To make the puffs, brush two opposite sides of a pastry square with the beaten egg. Place 11/2 tablespoons of the Sweet Potato Filling in the centre of the pastry square and fold the pastry diagonally over the filling, forming a triangle, and then crimp the edges to seal. Place the puff on a baking pan and brush the top with the beaten egg. Continue to make the puffs in the same manner with the remaining ingredients.

Bake the puffs for about 20 minutes until golden and serve immediately.

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.