Passport & Plate - Spicy Potato Curry Pyrohies
Ukraine | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
"Pyrohies" are the Ukrainian way of spelling "pierogies," which is in Russian. I will spell pyrohies in this entry, this is not a typo.
Dough:
-4.5 cups flour
-2 cups water
-0.5 TBSPN soft butter
-1 tspn salt
-2 tspn olive oil
-1 medium size egg
Potato Curry:
-7-8 lrg potatoes, diced in one inch cubes
-1 tspn turmeric
-4-5 curry leaves
-pinch of grated asafoetida
-2 medium onions, finely diced
-3 green chili’s (include more or less depending on the desired spice level)
-8 garlic cloves, minced
-1 inch ginger, finely chopped
-0.5 TBSPN cumin
-0.5 TBSPN chili powder
-0.5 TBSPN roasted ground coriander
-0.5 - 1 tspn salt depending on preference
-½ tspn turmeric
-3-4 TBSPN tomato paste
-1 tspn graham masala
-1 tspn red chili flakes (optional -for that extra spice kick)
-oil and butter/ghee for frying
How to prepare this recipeIt’s best to prepare the dough in advance, and leave to sit in the fridge overnight. If doing this always allow the dough to warm up to room temperature before making the pyrohies. To make the dough combine 4.5 cups flour with 2 cups water, egg, salt, olive oil and butter. Stir and knead to make a non-sticky, soft dough. Add a splash of oil to the surface and rub over the dough to prevent drying out. Cover with saran wrap and allow to rest, if not overnight than for several hours.
Boil the potatoes until cooked. Drain. Rinse in cold water. Melt a splash of olive oil and some butter/ghee in a frying pan. Add 1 tspn turmeric and the drained potatoes. Fry and mash to make slightly crispy. Set aside in a bowl.
Melt butter/ghee in the same frying pan and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, chili’s and ginger and fry until fragrant. Add cumin, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, salt & chili flakes, and tamper for 1-2 min, do not burn. Add tomato paste and potatoes, mix well, reduce heat to medium. Add water as needed for mixture not to dry out and to achieve desired consistency. Add graham masala and mix. Heat on low for 5 minutes and allow to cool.
Let the dough reach room temperature before making pyrohies, it will be easier to manage then cold dough. Knead dough until it’s soft. Split off little pieces and roll them into circles, then squash into round patties. Add filling, and form into half-moons securing the edges with a little flour. This takes some practice. Cover dough and pyrohies with a clean, dry towel as you work so that they do not dry out.
To cook the pyrohies, add them to a salted and boiling pot of water. Stir. The pyrohies will float to the surface of the water when cooked, this takes about 3-4 minutes. Drain and serve with butter.
OR, to take pyrohies to the next level (as pictured) once boiled, stir fry them in a little bit of butter/ghee, about 1 minute per side, until a nice golden color develops. Serve immediately!
The story behind this recipeI was born in Kiev, Ukraine and moved to Canada at age 7. I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, in a large Ukrainian community, and frequently traveled to Ukraine to visit family. At home I grew up with my mom cooking, and we all ate Ukrainian food and food was always the same to me. When I moved away from home, and started to travel, to live abroad, and started cooking for myself for the first time, I became introduced to a world of flavors I have never tasted before. My passion for food was born.
My boyfriend of almost 5 years is from Sri Lanka, and since meeting him I have learned a lot about east Indian cuisine. Spices that I have never heard of ended up becoming my staples in the kitchen. My spice tolerance was born. And unfortunately my Ukrainian recipes in comparison became bland. My boyfriend being a picky eater that needed spice did not enjoy Ukrainian food.
So I set out on a mission to make Ukrainian food that would involve east Indian flavors, and nothing was more natural to me than making a spicy curry pyrohy. These are popular dishes in both worlds. Ukrainian pyrohies are traditionally filled with mashed potatoes or cheese, they’re normally bland boiled dumplings served with butter and sour cream. Well with a little tweaking of this recipe with a spicy potato curry filling, boiled then fried, topped with butter, served with cilantro chutney, I discovered a gold mine that finally my boyfriend would compliment, and could not get enough of!
The dough recipe is originally my mothers, who got it from her mother and so on. The measurements are my own after many many attempts; my mother doesn't use measuring cups, but rather approximates everything in all her recipes. The potato curry recipe initially I found online from bbc food website, but it has undergone tweaking to get it to the taste and spice level of my satisfaction.
