Puff pastry with kheema filling....

Today, we had been expecting some guests for tea. As it turned out, they couldn't make it. I was left with the filling for the evening snack that I'd meant to make. Anyway, at my daughter's insistence, I made a batch of puffs with chicken and veggie filling. See if you like it.

Ingredients:

1: Puff pastry ( Pepperidge -farm or any grocery brand)               -    1 packet ( 1 packet is of 6 sheets)

2:  Minced chicken or ground chicken
(you could use ground Turkey too)                                                   - 1 small packet or 1 pound

3:  Mixed veggies   (carrots, beans, bell pepper,
      potato, onion, tomato )                                                            - all diced, altogether 1 cup

4. Ginger garlic paste or crushed ginger and garlic                           -1 tsp each

5. Chilly powder                                                                            -1 tbsp

6. Fennel powder & Cumin powder                                                - 1tsp each

7 .Turmeric powder                                                                       -1 tsp

8: Chicken Masala/ Meat Masala                                                   -1tsp

9: Coriander leaves/Cilantro                                                          -For garnishing

10: Curry leaves, a sprig                                                                  - For garnish

11: Salt                                                                                          - for taste

12: Oil                                                                                             -Any cooking oil

Method:

First, you need to make the filling for the puffs. Heat the oil in a pan and add the ginger garlic paste/ crushed ginger & garlic and stir it to lose its raw smell. Into it, add the curry leaves and the vegetables, also, add some salt and the turmeric powder and stir the vegetables in medium heat for 5 minutes. .Add the ground chicken into this mixture and stir well periodically so no lumps form. Add the chicken/meat masala, fennel, and Cumin powders. Check for salt and now you can close the pan and cook for a while. Break down the clustering if any does form. The chicken has to be well cooked until all the water is absorbed and the oil clears out. Mix in the cilantro and some more curry leaves. The kheema is ready, just let it cool awhile.

Meanwhile, get the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw. Also, preheat the oven to 350-400 F. Break the sheets out and cut them each into 2 or three square/rectangle pieces, depending on the size you require your puffs to be.  Into these small square/rectangle sheets, take a small scoop of the kheema and place it in the middle and seal up the ends of the square. The ends will be easy to join as the pastry is quite sticky. Arrange these little, filled-in puffs, into cookie sheets or pans lined with aluminum foil. You can grease the cookie sheet or the aluminum foil put over the baking pan so that it's easy to pick up the done puffs later.

Put them in the oven and let it cook until the puffs start turning golden brown. This might take 12-16 minutes of baking. Turn off the oven and let them cool down and enjoy your puffs.