Pastel

Pastel or Kue Pastel is my ultimate snack. Like, it is just the one snack that I certainly can never live without. It is somehow similar to curry puff in Malaysia or Singapore, only Pastel is filled with vegetables without any curry herbs whatsoever. I love eating it even though I don't enjoy kneading the dough. Not that it is hard to knead but hey I am lazybones. Even moving my lazy ass from the couch is hard.

ingredients:
makes 18 pieces

for the skin
275 gr/10 oz all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
75 ml lukewarm water
1 egg
4 tbsp liquid margarine or cooking oil

for the filling
3 hard boiled eggs, each sliced into 6 pieces
1 package (100 gr/4 oz) glass vermicelli/cellophane/mung bean noodles soaked in lukewarm water, drain
2 cups of diced carrot
2 cups of diced potato
1 cup of chopped spring onions
3 garlic cloves, crushed and sliced
1 tbsp chicken powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
50 ml water
3 tbs cooking oil
oil for deep-frying

method:
for the filling

1. Heat the cooking oil in the a large saute pan, add the garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for about a minute.

2. Add the potato and carrot, stir occasionally, put a lid on the pan for about two minutes. Open the lid, reduce the heat. Add salt, pepper, sugar and chicken powder, stir well. Add water, put the lid back on and cook for five minutes. 

3. Open the lid, put the heat back to medium. Add the soaked noodles and spring onions, stir well for few minutes until the vegetables are soft and the noodles are all incorporated. 

for the skin

4. Mix all ingredients for the skin, except the water. Add water gradually into the mix while kneading it. Knead completely until it is no longer sticky and shape it to a round ball and flatten in with a rolling pin. 

5. Make 18 round/circular shape dough with the thickness of 1/3 cm and a diameter of 10 cm each.

6. Fill in each dough with the filling plus a slice of hard boiled egg on one side of the dough and flip the other side on top of the filling so that it covers the filling. Seal the edges by pressing them together using the thumb and fore finger then press it again using a fork. I use a Pastel/Curry Puff/pastry mould. It can be a huge help in this process.


7. To fry the Pastel: fill a wok with cooking oil. Heat the oil to 175°C/350°F. Gently slide in the Pastel, frying 4-6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper.

8.  Peanut or chili sauce is recommended as the condiment.