Pages

Friday, 15 June 2012

Braided, Savory Corn & Coriander Puff..Step by Step



Hello Everyone!
Last few days were very hectic with the school reopening after the break. Immediately after the school reopened, the kid celebrated his twelfth birthday. So, the days were spent planning and shopping for his special day and I must tell you he had a great day, the details of which I’ll post later. But in all this hustle bustle, I was not able to make something interesting for Kalyani’s MM#6 using Coriander and APF. I had thought something very interesting and innovative in my mind but I was just not getting the time to incorporate it in my cooking, since what I wanted to make, needed some time in hand…

Finally today, I decided to make it. After S and the younger kid left for office and school respectively, I let the elder one sleep longer and finished all the cleaning and other chores before he got up. I must confess, I can be a fanatic at times when it comes to cleanliness. Then I did all the chopping, grating and kneading required for the preparation. By that time the elder one was up, so gave him milk and breakfast and then headed towards finishing the product.

DSC_1838-001

This preparation is inspired by my braided breads, which one can read in detail here and here. I love the beauty of the braids and I wanted to use the theme in a  savory preparation especially as a starter. This preparation requires a bit of patience as well as diligence but the end product is worth all the effort, it looks really beautiful and is very tasty. I have added no overpowering spices to the filling, it has all the flavors coming from the herbs and the fresh ingredients used.
This Puff can make a very attractive starter as well as an after school snack. I must confess, after a long time I deep fried and enjoyed eating it too..yes, all the health consciousness was thrown out of the window today..Winking smileI asked the elder one to sample the preparation after I fried the first puff and I got an instant Thumbs up. I was mighty delighted with his reaction! As a cook, my motivation comes from the feedback I get and when the effort gets appreciated, one thrives for more..Finally, when I served the puff to the younger one after he came back from school, after tasting he told me Mom, this is Chef’s stuff! Whatever you have put inside the puff, has amazing taste. It’s KOOOL Mom!!! Wow, the kids made my day trulySmile.

Braided Savory Corn & Coriander Puff

P1080174-001

Preparation Time:20mins

Standing Time for THE Dough:60mins

Cooking Time:10mins

Frying Time:20-25mins

Makes:8Puffs

Serves:4



Ingredients For The Dough

1cup APF
1tbsp oil for shortening
1-1/2tsp chili flakes
3/4tsp oregano
salt to taste
water for kneading

Ingredients For The Filling

2tsp oil
1carrot-grated
1/4cup sweet corn, crushed
one quarter of red capsicum, chopped finely
2garlic cloves
a piece of ginger
2green chilies
a handful of coriander
salt to taste
1/2tsp oregano
2medium potatoes, boiled and mashed or 1cup potato flakes mixed in 3/4cup water

Ingredients For Corn Starch Slurry

3tbsp Corn Starch
2tsp water
a pinch of salt
also
3cups Oil for Deep frying

Method For Making The Dough

Assemble all the ingredients for making the dough.

P1080137

In a deep bowl, mix oregano, salt, oil and chili flakes.

P1080138

Add flour and mix to get a crumbly texture.

P1080140

Add water gradually and knead a stiff dough. Let it rest covered for an hour.

P1080141

Divide the dough into 8-9 portions and make balls of size slightly larger than what’s required for making a poori, flatten them. Keep covered to avoid drying.

P1080158

Method For The Filling

Crush together the garlic, green chilies, ginger and a little coriander in a hand mixer.

P1080142P1080143P1080145

Heat oil in a pan.

P1080146

Add the ginger-coriander crush and saute lightly for a minute.

P1080147P1080148

Add the grated carrot, crushed corn and mix. Saute for a minute again.

P1080149P1080150P1080151

Tip in the oregano and salt.

P1080152

Add the capsicum and mix.

P1080153

Add the potatoes, I used the potato flakes as I find them handy to use. Mix thoroughly. Do not overcook, let the veggies have a bite, as they will be deep fried later.

P1080155P1080154

Cool the mix and finally chop all the remaining coriander and mix it in the filling.

P1080156P1080157

Divide into 8equal portions and shape them as elongated cylinders.

P1080161

Method For Corn Starch Slurry

Mix all ingredients under the heading of slurry to make a semi thick slurry.

P1080159P1080160

Method For Making The Puff

Take the dough ball and roll it into an oval shape of length 3-1/2-4inches.

P1080163

Score it lightly using a sharp knife 1cm,on either side of the center.

P1080164

Place the filling.

P1080165

Give slant cuts on either side of the filling at equal distance till the end.

P1080166

Spread the corn starch slurry on the filling. This will help to stick the braid.

P1080167

Lift the first cut on the RHS of the filling and place it’s end at the origin of the second cut on LHS. Stick properly. Now lift the first cut on LHS and stick it at the origin of second cut on the RHS. Repeat this process continuously till the braiding is complete. Press the ends lightly to avoid any gaps.

P1080170P1080171

Deep fry the braided puff on a low flame till golden and crispy. Remove on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil.

P1080172

Serve hot with tomato sauce.




Tips & Precautions

The shortening added to the dough should not be less or excessive, it should be just enough to get a crumbly texture. Less shortening will cause soft puffs and more shortening will cause excessive absorption of oil.
One can try different fillings in the puff but the filling should not have excessive moisture.
Always keep the dough covered with a damp cloth, else it will start drying up.
Do not roll the dough too thin as it will tend to break while braiding.
The slurry should not be made thin as it will cause addition of water to the dough, making it further soft.
While adding salt to the filling, keep the salt level slightly less as the outer cover also has the salt, else the puff will become too salty.
This post goes to Magic Mingle#6

33 comments:

  1. Wow, using the slurry must have made the filling more crusty. Your son is so right Pari. just chef style.

    ReplyDelete
  2. excellent presentation.. would like to try that puff :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. A beautiful and very artistically made treat, Pari!!


    Check out the event at our space Veggie/Fruit A Month-June (Blueberry)

    ReplyDelete
  4. A very beautifully braided puff, Pari :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. looks so tempting and braided perfectly,feel like grabbing it...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome preparation, sounds really yumm. Perfectly braided n delicious puffs :)

    On Going Event EP Series Basil or Cardamom @Cook-Ezee

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yummy preparation. Illustrative clicks are amazing and self explanatory. Bookmarked, professional execution.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nice one Pari..Love it :) I always love braided one's ..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Irresistable puffs :)

    Hats Off :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. gorgeous braiding pari looks fabulous

    ReplyDelete
  11. these look awesome!....you have loads of patience...totally cheffy!belated birthday greetings to your son....happinness always.

    ReplyDelete
  12. These are seriously too good.

    ReplyDelete
  13. wow...looking delicious....great work...
    http://eezy-kitchen.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. A very interesting beautiful recipe.Well explained too.Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  15. looks so beautiful and delicious! thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Makes me hungry again..looks so irresistable...simply awsum

    ReplyDelete
  17. Loved this recipe. I am bookmarking this recipe. I think I will try this soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. wow... puffs look fantastic... this surely is a must try recipe... bookmarking it... Do participate in my first blog event... Guest Quest

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the braids,makes it more appealing and work of a patient cook!
    Yummm!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That is awesome!! What a great step by step clicks!!Wish i cud grab a few:-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. looks so cute and delicious. very interesting recipe

    ReplyDelete
  22. You have done it so beautifully, looks so good..

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow Pari - this is perfect, looks absolutely delicious & gorgeous too, cant say a no

    http://shwetainthekitchen.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  24. OMG! Pari! you share a very wonderful space. glad to follow you

    ReplyDelete
  25. Nice blog with yummy recipes....happy to follow u...
    do visit my blog in your free time..
    Shabbu's Tasty Kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  26. Looks marvellous,irresistible and yummy..Addictive definitely.

    ReplyDelete
  27. VP - S's cousin Sis17 June 2012 at 20:15

    Hi I am a long time follower, posting my first comment. Love your recipes. This surely is a chef style recipe. Can't wait to try.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Looks so awesome puff, sounds innovative and done a gr8 job!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Perfectly done, looks great. Indeed lot of hard work and you managed capture each step.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Beautifully done..and PERFECT !!! As moms aren't we always delighted by our kids reactions. Chef Stuff Indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Very yummy snack and a detailed pictorial..
    Well done !

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Thanks for dropping by and giving my blog your precious time.Please do find time to write comments,as they are a source of inspiration and encouragement. I will try my level best to reply to the queries. Every word commented here means a lot to me...However, comments with backlinks and spam would be deleted immediately.