BBBabes make curry 'eggs' for Easter

This month there is a delicious treat for you to bake with us. I was very pleased that our Indian Babe Aparna ("My diverse kitchen") came up with these lovely vegetarian "great balls of curry". Deep fried round balls with a superdelicious curry (recipe included) inside. How perfect to have egg-like balls for a Easter-recipe!
I made them on a Sunday for diner. I made 12 balls, that were big enough as they puff up a little in the oil. Everybody loved these a lot. Cripsy on the outside, soft bread and a fabulous curry on the inside. Thanks Aparna, that was just perfect for us! So bake fry along with us, and become our Bread Baking Buddy. Make it, fry it, eat it, and blog about it, or let us know how they turned out. Send your details to Aparna (aparna(at)mydiversekitchen(dot)com), deadline 29th of this month and she'll add you to the round up of all the Buddy Bakers, Of course you'll also receive a Buddy Badge to add to your post (if you like). You won't be disappointed with these delicious breadballs! So go and bake (fry) and have fun.

Kare Pan (Japanese Curry Buns)

(PRINT recipe)

Dough

3/4 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp sugar

300 g all-purpose bread flour

70 g whole wheat flour

70 g cake flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 TBsp oil

200-250 g water

Curry

2 1/2 cups diced mixed vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, beans)

1/3 cup frozen green peas

3 big potatoes

2 TBsp  oil

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

2 big onions, chopped fine

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chilli powder (adjust to taste)

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

3 to 4 TBsp coriander chopped fresh (optional)

Coating

A thin almost watery slurry/ mixture of all-purpose flour and water (or two eggs beaten well)

1 1/2 cups Panko crumbs

Oil for deep-frying

Curry

You can make this ahead or do it while the dough is rising. Steam cook the mixed vegetables and the potatoes till well done. Mash them very well and keep aside.

In a largish wok, heat the oil. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and saute taking care to see it doesn’t burn. Add half the onions and sauté again it is soft and translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them till they’re soft and mushy.

Use your potato masher, or a wooden spoon, to mash the onion-tomato mixture further. Cook until the oil appears on the edge.

Add the turmeric, chilli, coriander, cumin and garam masala powders. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until the raw smell of the spices disappears. Add the mashed vegetables, salt and about quarter a cup of water. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until everything blends into a homogeneous thick moist consistency with no gravy. Mix in the chopped coriander and let it cool. Use to fill the Curry Buns. I used a large ice/cookie scoop to portion the filling out in 12, places them on a lightly floured plate until the dough was ready to be filled.

 

Dough / Kare Pan

Mix instant yeast and the sugar into the flours.

In a large bowl (or use your food processor/ kneading machine), mix together the flours and the salt. Add the oil and the water. Knead well, adding as much more water (or some flour if needed ) as necessary to form a smooth elastic dough.

Roll the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, coating it with the oil. Cover loosely and let it rise till double in size (should take about 1 1/2 hours or so).

Deflate the dough and divide it into equal 12 pieces. Place them on your lightly floured work surface, cover and let them rise for about 30 to 45 minutes. Get the Curry filling ready. Also get the flour slurry or beaten egg, and the Panko crumbs all ready.

Working quickly with one piece at a time, gently press down a piece of dough and roll it out into a circle about 6 mm thick. Place a generous amount (not too much) of filling in the centre and bring up the side together over the filling to shape into a ball. Otherwise, fold over into a half-moon taking care to seal the edges very well. Use water or egg if necessary to seal. (I used the ‘slurry’ that is used for the coating)

Dip the dough ball into the flour slurry (or beaten egg) and then roll it in the breadcrumbs till it is coated well. If shaping into a ball. Use your palms to gently press in the breadcrumbs. Keep aside. Quickly repeat with remaining dough pieces and filling. Let them rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. (If you have some left over filling, just make small balls coat with the slurry and crumbs and bake in a frying pan, or just heat up without the coating, a delicious snack!)

In the meanwhile heat enough oil in a wok or fryer for deep frying the dough balls. Once the oil is hot enough (185ºC), gently drop 2 or 3 of the dough balls in the oil turning them over so they brown evenly. Once they’re a deep golden brown (should take about a couple of minutes) remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon or spatula and let them drain on paper towels.

Serve them warm as they are or with sauce. They will be crisp and crunchy on the outside and a little bready on the inside with the filling.

(adapted from http://mamaloli.com/recipes/entree/kare-pan-recipe-curry-bread/)