120g fine or panko breadcrumbs vegetable or sunflower oil, to fry
Method
To make the filling, heat the butter or oil in a frying pan, add the onion and salt and cook gently for 4-5 minutes, so the onion remains translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute before adding the prawns.
Allow them to turn pink before adding the pepper and chilli flakes, if using. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.
Use the same pan to make the béchamel. Melt the butter and add the flour, stirring to combine until you have a smooth paste. Cook over a low heat for a minute, moving it around to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan, then gradually add the milk, stirring or whisking constantly. Stir in the cheese and nutmeg and an extra splash of milk, if needed.
Keep whisking until a smooth sauce is formed. Add the prawn mixture to the sauce and keep the pan on the heat for a couple of minutes, allowing all the ingredients to combine. Turn the filling out into a bowl and clean the pan.
For the pastry, melt the butter in the cleaned pan and add the salt, 250ml water and the flour. Combine it all using a spatula, then immediately turn off the heat. Sprinkle a little flour on the worktop and turn out the warm pastry dough. Immediately break off a piece of dough the size of a golf ball and, while still warm, roll out into a 3mm-thick disc approx. 10cm in diameter.
Put 1tsp of the prawn filling on the disc of dough, off-centre, and fold the dough up and over so the filling is completely encased in pastry.
Use the rim of a glass or cup to apply pressure around the edge where the dough meets, sealing the patty and creating a half-moon shape. Set aside.
Repeat to use up the rest of the dough and prawn mixture. Completing each one in turn can help with uniformity and ensure the patties are properly closed, but if you find it easier, you can roll out all the rounds of dough first before adding the filling and sealing them.
Either way, be careful not to overfill the patties. If making in advance, place the cooled patties on a plate or tray in the freezer, then store in resealable bags once hardened.
If serving immediately, whisk the egg with 1tbsp water in a shallow bowl and put the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
Using one hand, dip a patty into the egg wash and then place in the bowl of breadcrumbs. Use your other (dry) hand to coat the pattywith the breadcrumbs, then transfer to a clean plate ready for frying. Repeat with all the patties. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 hours at this stage before frying.
Heat enough oil in a pan to either shallow or deep fry (take care not to overfill the pan if deep frying) and sprinkle a few breadcrumbs in the oil. If they immediately sizzle, the oil is the right temperature. Gently lower the patties into the oil, in batches, and shallow or deep fry for around 2 minutes until bronzed on both sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper, ready to serve. To cook from frozen, remove the patties from the freezer 30 minutes before frying, then coat and fry as above.
Recipes and photographs taken from Seven Kitchens: A Journey Through India's Culinary Heritage by Torie True. Photography by Tim Green. (Meze Publishing, £25)
