Karipap Pusing (Malaysian Spiral Curry Puffs)

Filling:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken and continue stirring and cooking for another 2 minutes. Add the potato and seasonings, stir to coat, then add the water and cover with a lid. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the potato is tender and there is little liquid remaining. If there is a lot of liquid, continue to cook uncovered and allow most of it to evaporate.
2. Remove from the heat and slightly mash some of the potato with the back of a spoon to make the mixture more cohesive. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely before using. The filling can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, covered in plastic wrap, and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before using.

Water Dough:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the shortening or lard and rub it into the flour mixture to combine and create a crumbly mixture. Add the water and combine, bringing the dough together, and kneading gently, to yield a soft, smooth dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Oil Dough:

1. Combine the flour and shortening or lard in the same bowl used to make the water dough. Knead it until it becomes a smooth and pliable dough. It will resemble soft cookie dough. Form roughly into a ball, cover and set aside until the water dough is done resting.

Laminate the Dough:

1. Place the water dough on a very minimally floured work surface (use as little flour as you can to keep it from sticking but don’t add too much). Roll it out into a 7 ½-inch diameter circle.
2. Place the oil dough into the center of the circle. Pull up the sides of the water dough to completely enclose the oil dough and pinch the ends together to seal it closed. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before rolling out.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll the enclosed dough on a lightly dusted surface. Roll it into a rectangle about 8-by-12-inches with the long side closest to you. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, resulting in a rectangle about 8-by-4-inches.
4. Rotate the dough 90 degrees so one of the folded sides is closest to you. Then roll it out again into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Fold it again like a letter into thirds into an 8-by-4-inch rectangle. Wrap or cover the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Assemble:

1. On a lightly floured surface, rotate the dough another 90 degrees, and roll it out into a rectangle measuring 8-by-12-inches, with the long edge closest to you. With your fingers, roll the dough into a long cylinder (like a jelly roll) starting with the edge closed to you and rolling away from you.
2. Cut the dough crosswise into 12 slices. Keep the dough covered and work with half the slices at a time. On a lightly floured surface, use the heel of your hand to flatten each dough piece into a disk. Use a rolling pin (preferably a skinny Asian dowel-style rolling pin) to roll each disk into a thin circle, about 4 ½-inches in diameter.
3. Place one portion (or one-twelfth) of the filling into the center of each circle. Lightly wet the edges with a little water on your fingertip (not a lot but just enough to ensure the dough hasn’t dried out so it can seal properly). Fold the dough over itself to create a half-moon and press the edges together to seal. Pleat along the sealed edge to create a rope-like pattern from one end to the other (pinch and fold over onto itself). Set aside on a parchment paper covered baking sheet, cover, and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Fry:

1. Place a rack on top of a paper towel-lined sheet pan for draining the finished karipap.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven, wok, or deep saucepan, or deep-fryer at a depth of about 1 to 2 inches (it will rise once you add the curry puffs to the oil) to 375°F. Add curry puffs in small batches (don’t overcrowd the pan) and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, gently jostling them around a bit with a spider skimmer to keep the bottoms from over-browning, and occasionally flipping them over so they cook evenly.
3. Use a spider skimmer to remove finished karipap from the oil and let them drain and rest on the prepared rack. Repeat with additional karipap, in batches if necessary, until they are all fried. You may keep the curry puffs warm in a 200°F oven if you’d like, but they will stay crispy for a while at room temperature.
4. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Optionally, serve with sweet chili sauce on the side (not necessarily traditional, but it’s delicious).