Pat Chapman's Curry Club - 1st March 2012 - St David's Day - Newsletter
The flag of St David and The flag of Wales
Happy St David's Day!
Today is the 1st of March and St David's Day. St David was a Celtic monk, who lived in the 6th century and he is the patron saint of Wales. His personal symbol is the leek.
'... member of the onion family, native to the Mediterranean, and introduced to Britain by the Romans, the leek is now an important symbol to the Welsh...'
In celebration of St David and leeks, you will find, below, a delicious Afghani recipe for Boolani Gadana - Fried Leeks Encased in Pastry.
Boolani Gadana
Fried Leeks Encased in Pastry
Curry Club Indian Vegetarian Cookbook By Pat Chapman
MAKES 16 BOOLANI
Traditionally half-moon shaped, they appear on special occasions such as weddings and birthdays, but of course they are excellent at any time. Being deep-fried, they are best fresh, when they melt in the mouth, but they can be served cold. They can also be frozen after cooking and reheated in the oven.
THE FILLING
- 2 leeks
- 4 spring onions
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic purée
- 1 tablespoon onion purée
- 0-2 fresh green chillies, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
SPICES
- 1 teaspoon ground cassia bark
- 1 teaspoon ground cummin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
THE PASTRY
- 1lb (450g) strong white flour or Atta flour
- vegetable oil for deep-frying
METHOD - THE FILLING
- Wash the leeks carefully, ensuring that the grit and soil is cleaned from between the leaves. Discard the dead part of the leaves, then finely chop the remainder.
- Chop the spring onions in the same way.
- Heat the oil in a karahi or wok. Stir-fry the garlic and onion purées for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the spices and continue for a couple of minutes more. Add the leeks, spring onions, optional chillies and tomato purée. Simmer and stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Put the mixture into a strainer to remove excess oil (which can be re-used in another spicy dish) and allow to cool.
METHOD - THE PASTRY
- Make a pliable dough by mixing water with the flour (for general dough making).
- When it is ready, divide it into 16 balls and roll out each ball into a disc about 4 inches (10cm) in diameter.
- Heat the deep-fryer to 375F/190C.
- Put about 1-11/2 tablespoons of filling into one half of a disc, but do not over fill it or it will burst during cooking.
- Fold the disc in half and press the rims together firmly.
- Repeat stages 3 and 4 with the remaining 15 discs.
- Place a boolani into the oil. As soon as it starts to float, add a second. Do this until 4 are frying (don't cook more than 4 at a time or you will overload the fryer, thus reducing the temperature).
- When they are golden (after about 10 minutes) remove them, shaking off excess oil, and rest them on kitchen paper. Keep them in a warmer if necessary.
- Repeat stages 7 and 8 until all are cooked.
- Serve hot and fresh with chutneys and salad, or cold. When cold they can be frozen.
Find this and other delicious recipes in Curry Club Indian Vegetarian Cookbook By Pat Chapman
Meanwhile, Carry on Currying! and Happy St David's Day!
Pat Chapman
The Curry Club
