Food is Cynful: Curry Puffs

About the Cyn

As I have added more and more recipe's to this blog I've realized that these are such sweet tender memories for me. Just as a photograph or childhood story will bring back memories, food floods me with tons of remembrances of happy times in the past! From family dinners and times with friends to Grandma making toast in the frying pan, food has brought about a way to record my family history. Food has always been and remains a huge part of our gatherings and I feel so very blessed to be able to share my memories and such terrific recipe's with my family and anyone out there who has a few minutes to spare. It is my hope that someday my children and grandchildren will prepare these recipe's and know they were special to someone!

Cynful Explanations

Al dente – An Italian expression applied in all western kitchens to pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left in it to be felt “by the tooth.” Fresh pasta can never by cooked al dente as it is too soft. The expression is also applied to vegetables that have been cooked crisp by steaming, boiling, or stir-frying.
Baste – To moisten food during cooking with pan drippings, sauce, or other liquid. Basting prevents foods from drying out.
Bias-cut - To slice food at a steep angle increasing the surface area, makes a thinner cut easier and looks better.
Butterfly- To split a food (such as shrimp) down the center, cutting almost but not completely through. The two halves are then opened flat to resemble a butterfly shape.
Caramelize – The flavor of many foods, including vegetables, meats, and seafood, is often enhanced by a gentle browning that caramelizes natural sugars and other compounds and intensifies their flavor. Meats for stews, for example, are usually browned to caramelize juices that if not caramelized are much less flavorful. Chopped vegetables, especially aromatic ones such as carrots and onions, are often caramelized—sometimes with cubes of meat—in a small amount of fat before liquid is added to enhance the flavor of soups, stews, and sauces.
Dice – To cut into cubes (unlike chopping, which cuts foods into irregular pieces).
Dredge – To coat a food with flour, any finely crumbled ingredient, or, in pastry, with fine sugar.
Egg wash – A mixture of egg or egg white, oil, and water brushed over floured items, which are then deep-fried or pan-fried in clarified butter or oil.
Fold – To incorporate an egg-white foam into an egg yolk foam or a flour batter without deflating it so that it retains its full leavening power.
Julienne – To cut into long thin matchstick size strips.
Marinade – A mixture of ingredients used to flavor and moisten foods. May be liquid of dry. Liquid marinades are usually acidic based and dry marinades are usually salt based.
Mince – To chop very fine.
Piping - To force a food (typically frosting or whipped cream) through a pastry tip to use as a decoration or garnish, or to shape dough, such as that for éclairs.
Poach – To cook completely submerged in barely simmering liquid.
Puree – To work or strain foods until they are completely smooth.
Ramekin – A small, ovenproof dish, usually ceramic.
Render - To melt animal fat over low heat so that it separates from any connective pieces of tissue, which, during rendering, turn brown and crisp.
Resting – Roasted meats should not be served straight out of the over, but should be allowed to rest in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil. (The foil keeps the meat warm; loose wrapping ensures that the outside of the meat doesn’t steam and lose its crispness.) Resting allows the meat to relax so the juices become redistributed in the meat and aren’t squeezed out onto the platter during carving.
Sauté – To cook over high heat in a small amount of fat in a sauté pan or skillet.
Scald – To heat milk just below the boiling point. Or, to immerse a vegetable or fruit in boiling water in order to remove its skin easily.
Sear – To brown the surface of pieces of meats and or fish by submitting them to intense initial heat.
Simmer – To maintain the temperature of a liquid just below boiling.
Steam – To cook in steam by suspending foods over (not in) boiling water, in a covered pot or steamer.
Stew – A cooking method nearly identical to braising but generally involving smaller pieces of meat, and hence a shorter cooking time. Also, the dish prepared by using this method of preparation.
Stir-fry – Chinese technique of cooking think slivers of meat, shellfish, and vegetables in hot oil.
Sweat – To cook foods over gentle heat, usually covered or partly covered, until they release their moisture. Vegetables, meats, and seafood are often sweated when making soups, stews, and sauces so that the foods release their juices into the pan and surrounding liquid. Sweating is the opposite of sautéing.
Tempura – A Japanese method of cooking vegetables and shellfish. They are coated with a light cornstarch batter and deep-fried.
Wok – A round-bottomed pan, usually made of rolled steel, used for virtually all Chinese cooking methods.
Zest – The thin, brightly colored outer part of the rind of citrus fruits. The oils make it ideal for use as a flavoring. Remove the zest with a grater, citrus zester, or vegetable peeler. Be careful to remove only the colored layer, not the bitter-white pith beneath it.

My parents used to take us to this great Chinese

food restaurant years ago that we all loved. They had a great menu and would let you order family style. These curry puffs were part of an appetizer that included soup and egg rolls. As always my Dad is pretty friendly with all the staff and they knew him by sight fairly well. I'm not sure if he got this recipe out of them or being the clever man he is just figured it out on his own. The second would not be surprising really. These curry puffs were a big part of why we frequented the restaurant. Unfortunately the restaurant closed a few years back ending an era of great curry puffs and Mom and Dad had to find alternatives to their Asian food cravings! These curry puffs are so Cynfully easy to make. Not only are they easy to make and cook but if you want to make them ahead of time and cook them later, they freeze really well. I think this is how my Dad and the restaurant used to make them and now how we make them...

1 Package Won-ton Wrappers
2 Bricks Cream Cheese
Curry Powder to taste
side bowl of water

Start by softening the cream cheese to room temp. When cheese is softened slowly whip the cheese with an electric mixer. You can do this by hand but it takes forever. Now the curry powder gets a little tricky. Some people like it strong but go easy with it. We like it a very very pale yellow color once mixed. I would suggest adding only one tbsp at a time and mixing only that tbsp then tasting the mixture to see if that is enough. This last time I WAY over did it and I could only have a few before my stomach was churning. Once you get the right mixture put that mixture back in the fridge to re-cool. I like this because I find it's easier to manipulate the cheese onto the won-ton wrapper if it has cooled. Assembling the wrappers takes a little practice. I lay several (8 or 9) wrappers on the table at a time and then using the front of one spoon and the back of another spoon I scoop and place about a half tbsp full onto the middle of each wrapper. This is where it gets a bit messy. Using clean fingers I dip a finger into the water and spread a thin layer of water on two connecting edges of the wrapper. Fold the non wet edges over onto the wet edges and seal the edges together creating a triangle. I also try to squeeze out any extra air so they won't puff to much when cooked. For this next part you need to use your imagination and refer back to the picture at the top. If your imagination won't work for this just keep the won-ton as a triangle, you don't have to do this last step and truthfully you can fold these anyway your heart desires, this is just how we have folded them in the past. Using the long side of the triangle bring the two corners from the long side together and seal one half length on top of the other half length using the water to seal. Set aside and let the water dry for just a few moments before you cook them. There is flour on the wrapper and once you connect it with water you'll be a mess. In the mean time bring a half pot of oil up to 350 degrees. Depending on the size of your pot you can cook four or five at a time. Don't over crowd the pot. This would make the temperature drop and not cook as well. Cook until golden brown and serve with a sweet and spicy sauce or on it's own. Watch out, this will stink up your house and smell for days but if you like curry, it's so worth it!

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