New story out in Reading 5X5 anthology! And a cooking lesson!



I forgot to mention this earlier, but the Reading 5X5 anthology came out this week!


Five stories told five different ways, twenty-five authors in all. I have a story here, alongside some amazing writers I know. For a more detailed explanation of the concept behind this book, and links on how to buy it, visit the official website here (note: all proceeds benefit charity!)

My story is about food and family. It's about magic and the end of the world and what happens when family ties fray. And oh, can I mention food again? This story is perhaps a little indulgent in its descriptions of Thai food.

Last night, to celebrate the release of this book, I made Thai chicken curry puffs. My mother made them for parties and special occasions when I was a child, but I had never learned how to do it from her. I cobbled together a recipe from the Internet, and made these on my own (with the help of Eldest Daughter who helped fold and crimp the puffs at the end.To be honest, she was the one who figured out how--from a Youtube video--to crimp them correctly in the first place.

                
                     Curried chicken potato filling. Diced onions, potatoes, and chicken fried with yellow curry powder, white pepper, and soy sauce. 


    Two types of dough: "water dough" (the bigger balls) and a "grease dough" with oil or butter (mine had butter).


          You put a "grease dough" ball on top of a flattened "water dough" ball, and
                                                        enclose it completely.


                                                               Like this. 

                       
                            Then you flatten it out and roll it up like a Swiss jelly roll.


              You turn that roll 90 degrees (so that it's facing up at you, flatten it out and roll it out AGAIN)


You roll it up like a Swiss roll for the SECOND time, then slice it into ~ 1 cm thick slices.

       Flatten out each of those slices with a rolling pin. See the pretty spiral pattern
                                                            that's preserved? 



Now you get to fill each flattened slice with golden-tinged filling. Seal and crimp. 


                         
                                                                 Fry.  





 And enjoy.

      These were SO GOOD, and just as I remembered--the pastry crisp and shattering in the mouth, perfectly complementing the savory filling. My family loved them!

 And while Eldest Daughter and I were still wrapping these babies up, Husband came in with the mail and the inspiration for why I made these in the first place.

So if you buy the anthology and you've read through all this, now you'll be able to visualize it when the grandmother in my story makes Thai curry puffs. =)

 And if you'd like to make them yourself, you can use this recipe from Sam Tan's kitchen. As you can see by following the link, these curry puffs are enjoyed in Malaysia (and Singapore) as well as in Thailand!

 (note: my filling is a little different from the recipe linked above: I don't use chilies or garlic, and I add soy sauce)

 Edited later to add: Here is the epic tweet thread in which I originally live-tweeted the making of these curry puffs! 

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