These moreish little pastries are as lovely for a snack as they are for dinner, and they take just minutes to put together. I like to fill squares of pastry and fold them into little triangular puffs, but if you prefer more of a Cornish pasty look (*food writer cancelled for suggesting paneer is an appropriate pasty filling!*), by all means stamp out circles, fold into half-moons and crimp the edges.
Spiced paneer puffs with quick-pickled carrot raita
Prep 20 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 3-4
225g block paneer
2 spring onions, trimmed
20g mint leaves
Zest of 1 lime, plus 15ml lime juice
1 green chilli, deseeded if you wish
1 heaped tsp flaky sea salt
1 tbsp self-raising flour
320g roll puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
For the quick-pickled carrot raita
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
30ml white-wine vinegar
½ tsp flaky sea salt, crumbled
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
300g carrots, peeled, quartered lengthways and finely sliced
150g natural yoghurt
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Tip the paneer, spring onions, mint leaves, lime zest and juice, green chilli and salt into a food processor, and blitz, scraping down the sides occasionally, until the mix resembles very fine couscous. Add the flour, and blitz again until the mix has broken down even more finely. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Unroll the pastry and cut it into 12 equal squares. Divide the paneer mixture evenly between the pastry squares (just over a heaped tablespoon on each square should do it), then bring up two opposite ends of the pastry to make a triangle. Squeeze gently all around the edges to seal, then transfer to a lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the pastry triangles are sealed (you can sit them upright, like little dumplings, or on their sides like triangles). Brush the pastries with the beaten egg, then bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Meanwhile, toast the fennel and coriander seeds in a small dry frying pan, then put them in a large bowl with the vinegar and salt. Mix well, then stir in the spring onions and carrots. Leave to pickle until you’re ready to eat.
Just before serving, stir the yoghurt through the quick-pickled carrots, and serve alongside the hot pastry puffs.
