One Fine Day in Lalaland

Scene 1: Living Room

Brad: "I'm hungry. Why don't you cook dinner for us?"
Angelina: "Not in this lifetime."
Brad: "I'll ask Mama."
Angelina: "Hahahaha....best of luck, mate. She's busy."

And so the male cat waddles to the study and jumps onto Mama's lap. He's lucky Mama was in a good mood that day.

Mama: "Yes, what do you want Brad?"
Brad: "I'm hungry, Mama."
Mama: "So, go to the kitchen and eat your kibble."
Brad: "I'm tired of kibble. I want the real stuff. Red meat....yummmm."
Mama: "Give me five minutes, OK? Let me finish my work first and then we'll see what we can do."
Brad: "Yahoo!!!!"
Mama: "But there are terms and conditions...."
Brad: "Really? I'll do anything."
Mama: "That's my boy. Promise you'll help me too, OK?"
Brad: "Yes, Mama. I will help you. Errr....what about Angelina?"
Mama: "She'll have to help too, wouldn't she? Unless she wants to just eat kibble while we eat red meat?"
Brad: (yelling) "Did you hear that, Angelina?"
Angelina: (roll eyes) "I'm not deaf yet, Brad."

Scene 2: Kitchen

Act 1

Mama: "Angelina, take the beef out of the freezer. Please...."
Brad: "Let me do it, Mama."
Angelina: "You're too short, Brad."
Brad: "You're mean, Angelina."
Angelina: "Don't I know it?"
Mama: "Stop it, kids. We have loads to do here."
Brad: "What are we making, Mama?"
Mama: "Curry puffs."
Angelina: "Yahoo!!!"
Brad: "Huh! It was my idea."
Mama: "Kids!"

Act 2
Mama: "First, we make the filling."
Angelina: "May I write down the recipe, Mama?"
Mama: "Good idea. It's simple actually."

Curry puffs: Filling
Ingredients:
1/2 kg beef - diced finely (can use minced beef too but we prefer ours a little bit chewy)
2 medium-sized potato - peeled and diced
1 Spanish onion - diced finely
3 cloves garlic - chopped finely
3 tbsp meat curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 cup low fat milk or light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
curry leaves
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt and sugar to taste

The works:
1. Heat wok and pour oil.
2. Saute garlic and onion until brown and fragrant. Put in curry leaves, fennel seeds and curry powder.
3. Mix in a little bit of water to prevent spices from sticking to bottom of wok.
4. Mix in beef, ginger and some more water. Mix and let simmer on low heat until beef becomes tender.
5. Mix in potato and let simmer again until potato is cooked through.
6. Next, mix in tamarind paste, milk, salt and sugar.
7. Mix through everything in the pot, making sure mixture doesn't become burned.
8. Take wok away from heat once mixture is dry. Leave to cool before filling into pastry.

The filling bubbling away in the wok....hmmm....

Act 3

Mama: "Brad, please take the butter out from the fridge."
Brad: "Oh, it's right at the back, Mama. I'll have to climb in."

Zzzuppp. Fridge door closing.

Mama: "Angelina, did you close the fridge door?"
Angelina: (roll eyes) "No, it closed on its own. Must have been the wind."
Mama: "You know that Brad is in there, right?"
Angelina: "Why would I want to close the fridge door on him? I'm not that mean."
Mama: Sigh....(opens fridge door) "Come on out, Brad."
Brad: "Did you close the door on me, Angelina?"
Angelina: "Why is everyone accusing me? It was the wind. Honest."
Brad: "Whatever."
Mama: "Stop quarrelling. Brad, chop the butter. Angelina, write down the recipe for the pastry."
Brad & Angelina: (together) "Aye, aye, Captain!!!"

Curry puffs: Pastry
Ingredients:
3 cups plain flour (we used wholemeal)
200g butter - chopped
2 eggs - beat lightly with a fork
1/2 cup lukewarm water

The butter should be chilled and then chopped, no need to soften it.

The works:
1. Put flour and butter in the food processor. Process until mixture resembles crumbs.
2. Pour eggs into flour mixture. Process again until mixed through.

Isn't the food processor a wonderful thing? It makes short work of making pastry.

3. Take mixture out of processor and put in a big bowl. Now, mix in a little bit of water and knead the dough. No need to use up all of the water. Dough shouldn't be too tough or too soft.
4. Check if filling is cool enough or else leave dough to rest a bit.
5. Once filling is cool to the touch, take a small portion of dough, roll into a ball and then roll flat on the rolling board.

Our "roti" set of rolling pin and board is very handy for curry puffs too.

6. Cut pastry into rounds with pastry cutter (we use egg rings) to your desired size.
7. Place cut pastry onto a small plate, put a teaspoon (or whatever amount you like) of filling in the middle, fold and then use your fingers to close the seams (it was quite difficult doing it with claws but those lessons with playdough paid off)

What do you think of my handiwork? Mama calls it "klim karipap". Every decent girl should know how to "klim karipap", she said. Tall order indeed.

8. Finish off the pastry and filling until finished. Once done, heat enough oil in a pot for deep frying.
9. Put enough curry puffs in frying pan. Lower the heat for a slow fry or else you'll end up with burnt outer skin but uncooked inner skin.
10. Put fried curry puffs on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Ta-da..... that's our red meat wonder of the day.

Scene 3: Dining Table

Mama: "Kids, how many do you think you can eat?"
Brad: "I can eat heaps, Mama. And you sure made a lot."
Mama" "Yeap, we get about 45 of the little beauties."
Brad: "Why didn't we make them bigger in size, Mama? Would have saved a lot of time making them."
Mama: "Brad, you're going to learn a new word today. It's 'finesse'. Do you know what that means?"
Angelina: "I know, Mama. It's an uncountable noun meaning 'the property of having grace, elegance, skill, or balance.' Am I right?"
Mama: "Indeed you are. You understand that, Brad?"
Brad: "I do now, Mama. So, if we had made that curry puffs too big it means we don't have 'finesse', right?"
Mama: "Oh, and don't forget, never ever speak when your mouth is full."
Brad & Angelina: (nodding vigorously as mouths too full of curry puffs)

The end.

Angelina's note: ...burp...I ate five of them...purrr....meow!