Sardine Puffs
HEALTHIER VERSION COS YOU KNOW IT IZ BAKED INSTEAD OF DEEP FRIED. STILL GOOD AND SETTLES MY SARDINE PUFF CRAVING. I'm a tad hardcore, so I ate like so many of these puffs as my lunch and dinner today. YUMMYYYY. When I crave, I really crave and I'll eat so many at once and consecutively for days and feel so happy and blissful UNTIL I AM ABSOLUTELY SICK OF IT. And I won't make it again for like months. HAHAHA or years.
Anyway, I realised this water-oil dough thing is very chinesey, in my opinion. I've never seen this method in the western baking methods so far! And I really loveeee it because it is crispy, flakey, EASY. AND CLEANNNN. I love the cleanliness when making this dough, no flour mess cos you don't have to flour any table surface. This is unlike the tedious puffpastry method--needs no chilling of the dough in the fridge, no need to flour the table surface etc. which definitely makes your kitchen cleaner and your cleaning easier and me love no-mess bakes.

So this dough can be used to make your Sardine puff/Curry puff/Charsiew soo, WHATEVERRRR. FILL IT WITH LOVEEEE I DONT CARE. OR HATEEEE. I suppose that's how you make tau sar piah too but I obviously dont do my research enough. But with my smart brains, I'll assume I'm correct. Anyway, I have a lot kaya to deal with too so I made some kaya puffs with the same dough and to cater to my vegetarian friend. LOL.
Anyway, although it sounds tedious it really isn't. See the step-by-step pics and also read it But to understand how the shit you should roll it and you'll fly soon enough. I've got the steps on my IGhighlights/reels too.
Scroll on for the recipe but Imma update my lyf that I can't wait to visit my friends and family back in Singapore! A little normal lyf back in Singapore I hope! 1.5more weeks to go before I flyyyyy plus 2 weeks quarantine. DAMMIT. I hope I don't go crazy during the quarantine.
SARDINE PUFFS
Makes 12 puffs
Prep time: 1hour
Oil dough
Adapted from mykitchen101
125g plain flour
80g butter, cubed
Mix flour and cubed butter together until a dough is formed. Cover and set aside.
During the mixing process, it will look like it's dry af and crumbly but just keep working it and it will come together after your hands warm the butter up and everything comes together
Water dough
175 g plain flour
A pinch of salt
25g icing sugar
40g butter
70g plain water
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 egg for eggwash
Stir flour, salt and icing sugar together. Rub the butter into the flour mixture and slowly add in water until a dough is formed. Add in oil and mix together to form a dough.
If at this stage the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. If too dry, add A LITTLE water bit by bit kneading as you go.
ASSEMBLING
Preheat oven to 200'c.
Divide oil dough (~20g) and water dough (~30g) into 12 balls each.
Flatten one water ball and place oil ball in it. Roll to shape into a nice bigger ball.
Flatten by rolling it into an oblong shape. Then roll it up like a log (on the short-edge).
Repeat step 4 again. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
With the spiral-side of the log facing you, flatten it out into an oblong shape again and fill with your choice of filling. Seal the sides by pleating it or using a fork to press the edges.
Brush the pastry with the eggwash (1 beaten egg) and bake till golden brown.
Sardine Filling
2 chilli padi, sliced thinly
2 shallots, sliced thinly
2 small cans of sardines, drained (155g x 2) ,
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp honey/sugar
A splash of lime juice (optional)
Salt and white pepper to taste
In a small pot over medium heat, heat oil. Fry shallots and chilli padi till fragrant and soft.
Add sardines, curry powder, cumin powder, honey, lime juice. Mix all together and smash the sardines as you go.
Season with salt and white pepper to taste
Kaya Filling
2 tbsp kaya (best if chilled so it's easier to handle)