Seik-thar puff – Burmese mutton puffs

by MiMi Aye
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Makes 12
1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 sheets of puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
  • 3 tbsp of groundnut oil, or other vegetable oil, for frying

Fried onions

  • 1 medium onion, weighing approx. 150g
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Meat filling

  • 100g of goat mince, mutton mince or lamb mince
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/4 ground coriander
  • 1/4 ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp MSG (monosodium glutamate) powder, or 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1 green Indian finger chilli, finely sliced

Gravy

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 tbsp of cornflour

Method

1
Slice the onions and garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the turmeric. Let it sizzle and then add the onions and garlic. Turn the heat down to medium-low and then fry gently for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally until the onions are withered. Remove from the pan and set aside
2
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan on a medium heat and add the meat filling ingredients. Stir fry for 10–15 minutes until the meat is well browned
3
Add 300ml water, the cumin seeds and the cornflour, mix thoroughly and cover with a lid. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat to medium and leave to simmer for 30 minutes, covered
4
Remove the lid and give the meat a good stir. Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry for 5 minutes until slightly sticky. Set the meat to one side and allow to cool. Once cool, combine with the fried onions
5
Preheat an oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
6
Cut scone shapes out of the pastry using an 8cm round cutter – you should get 24 rounds in total. Place half the pastry shapes on a baking tray lined with baking paper and then brush with the beaten egg. Place a heaped tablespoon of the filling on each round, leaving a 5mm space from the edge so you can seal the puffs. Press the other half of the pastry shapes onto the filled shapes, gently sealing round the edges
7
Brush egg wash all over the puffs and then make three small cuts in the top of each one to allow steam to escape
8
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and then serve the puffs hot with ketchup or chilli sauce. You can refrigerate the puffs for up to 24 hours and eat them cold or reheat them and serve warm, but they are best eaten straight from the oven