Monday 19 July 2010

Filo parcels with a mince meat filling

I do not know how to knead and roll out dough. I do not know how to make chapati, paratha or any Indian bread for that matter...nopes not even poori. Thank god for frozen wheat chapatis we get at the local grocery, I really don't know what I would have done without it. Ro and myself have tried out all possible combinations and methods of dough mixes and fail miserably every time. We even bought one of those roti/ chapati press and it still didn't work. Well, if the kitchen/ food gods think we are not meant to learn and do it the right way..so be it. Shana frozen chapati comes to our rescue and when we feel a bit bored with the chapatis, we buy the theplas, the parathas and the kheema parathas (oh yeah!) in between. Please don't jinx me and say..let Shana foods go into insolvency or something like that...I'd be heart broken..really!
I was completely content with this arrangement when we were invited to a friends for dinner and she made the most amazing thing ( N & W if you are reading this..I'm so grateful to you for introducing me to this..its become an absolute fav of ours). She said it was called Murtabak (Murtabaq) and my husband claimed it was similar to Baida roti (yeah he's a closet Mumbaite). Whatever it was, I loved it..even more because there was no kneading and rolling since it was made with filo pastry. I got the recipe outline from her and incorporated my laziness into it, so my version of Murtabaq/ Baida roti/ Mince meat roti goes like this:

Basic mince meat recipe:
Minced beef- 250 gms
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste- 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
Pepper Powder- 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp
Meat masala- 1 tsp (optional)
Salt- to taste

Mix all the powders and GGP along with the mince meat and pressure cook with about 2 tbsp water for about 10 minutes after you put the weight on (approx. 3 whistles). Let off the steam, open the lid and if there is a significant amount of water, cook on high heat for a few minutes till some of the water has evaporated. You can add salt, spice etc. at this point, if there isn't enough. Alternatively, heat some oil in a frying pan and throw in the mince meat along with the gravy and fry on medium heat till all the gravy has been absorbed and it becomes somewhat dry.

For the pastry:
Uncooked filo pastry sheets- 8 large rectangular sheets, each cut into 4 
Egg- 1, lightly beaten
Oil- to lightly grease the pastry sheets and to shallow fry

Assembling:
Place a pastry square (the one you cut out from the big rectangular one) onto a lightly greased plate and using a basting brush lightly brush some oil onto it. Top with another pastry and continue till you reach the 4th pastry which you shouldn't oil.
Top the fourth pastry sheet with about 2 tbsp (or more) of mince meat. Spread it out. You don't want to over fill it, so be sure you even it out.
Now continue with the remaining 4 pastry squares on top of the filled sheet, oiling each before topping. It would be like a parcel, with the sides all held together by the oil and the mince meat filling in between 8 layers. 
So you basically end up using 2 rectangular filo pastry sheets for each filled. (Am I confusing you..cos I myself am a bit confused now..but don't worry its not rocket science..you'd get what I mean when you have the pastries in front of you)
Continue doing this with all the 8 sheets and keep them ready to shallow fry.

Frying:
Heat a non stick frying pan and drizzle some oil onto it. 
Do an egg wash on one side of the roti and carefully place that side down on the pan. Yup it would sizzle away...and I had the smile of contentment on my face :)
Fry for about 3 to four minutes or till lightly crispy and golden brown.
Do an egg wash on the top side, and flip it. Wait for that side to become brown and crispy and then drain on paper towels.
Continue doing the same to all the 4 parcels.
Serve hot with curd and pickle or slice them up into smaller squares and serve as an appetiser with chutney or chilli sauce.
Notes: You can bake it instead of frying. N told me, it would be a bit dry if you do it in the oven, but if you are health conscious, you might as well do that. Just do the egg wash on both sides and place on a baking tray and follow the instructions given on the filo pastry packet as to how long you need to bake it..prob about 20 to 30 minutes in a 160C oven.
If you do not want to cut the rectangular pastry sheet into 4 square sheets, then you can do the exact same procedure as is and finally when you are about to fry it, cut it into two halves. You can then slice them up into how many ever you want just before serving.
Fillings can be anything..mutton, pork, veggies etc.

30 comments:

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Check your hotmail too. I will be sending a mail.

Cool Lassi(e) said...

These are gorgeous filo parcels! I would give this a try with lamb filling sometime.
Haven't been cooking much lately cause my MIL is visiting and haven't been blog-hopping all that much either.

aipi said...

That looks delish .. kind of like shallow fried spanakopita with beef, loved your clicks!

Vrinda said...

Gr8 pastry with filo sheets..looks fab

Vineetha Sush said...

Hai..This looks fabulous.During the learning stage I used to be horrible in kneading and rolling,but practise will help us imrove :)keep trying dear..

Umm Mymoonah said...

I always use to bake it, your frying version must be more crispier, looks so crispy and delicious.

Suji said...

Nisha..That looks absolutely gorgeous..Marvelous shots..

Love
Suji

Sushma Mallya said...

Wow looks so yum,love the pic..

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

first I thought its keema paratha then I read that you cant make chapathis...if you can make such gorgeous things no need to make rotis. just pass the plate on.

Priyanka@thehealthydiary said...

Amazing blog, it was fun to read your about section! I have filo sheets in my freezer, I think I may have to try this looks so so good!!

Namitha said...

Awesome..Yet to try the phylo sheets in my kitchen :-)

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

..looks irrestible,mouthwatering and yum....drooling dear....love with chicken or veggie filling though...

Nitha said...

Thats so tempting Nisha..

Monet said...

I just found your blog...and I'm so glad that I did! What great content. I love using filo, and these pockets look delectable!
http://anecdotesandapples.weebly.com

Suja Manoj said...

Awesome..drooling here, looks irresistible..must try this..superb clicks dear.

Priya Suresh said...

I wont mind to have some rite now, such a yummy parcels, mouthwatering here..

Suman Singh said...

looks incredibly delicious...yummie!

Lawyer Loves Lunch said...

OMG these look awesome! And I'm with you on the unable-to-make-rotis train. But man, I really wish I could make roti. I like roti :)

Fathima said...

My story w/ chappathi is kinda similar :-) This Filo Parcels looks like something definitely worth a try... Awesome clicks!

Sanjeeta kk said...

Good that you can't make chapattis :) or else we would have missed out on this treat. Can try this if I get my hands on these ready to eat chapattis with a veggies filling instead.

Sarah Naveen said...

Oh My..i love this...my friend makes this whenever i visit her ...mouthwatering !!!

Nithu said...

It looks so good and tempting pics...

Unknown said...

WOW!! Tempting filo parcels and great pictures as always..

Rosi said...

Me gusta mucho lo que preparas,está muy rico...
Un saludo de una española en República Domicana,

Akanksha said...

looks yummy..I am vegetarian so will try it with veggies :)

arthi said...

wow!!looks delicious Nisha :)

Yasmeen said...

Amazing pictures,love the meaty spice filling :D

Sarah, Maison Cupcake said...

I would *really* like to eat some of these. Great sharp pictures too.

Unknown said...

Though am still not good with red meat your pic...drives me to try more

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