SARDINE POUCH—Seasoned canned sardines in a pastry pouch. Simple, easy and tasty. Sometimes we are stumped for what to make, for small lunch boxes, get together, small chop, quick snacks or cravings. We might be low on snacks ingredients at home or just want something cheap but fancy, so we go to the pantry and rustle up something with whatever is available and voila! it looks good and tastes great. That is how the sardine pastry pouch came about for me. It is always a hit any time I make it.
To make sardine pastry pouch:
Pastry 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ginger powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 3 tablespoon margarine, melted 6 tablespoon water Filling 1 tin sardine (125g) 1/2 tablespoon butter 1/2 small onions (2 tbs finely chopped onions) 1 shombo, chili 1/4 teaspoon dry chili pepper salt oil for frying
Pick out fish and break into small bits, set aside.
Finely chop onions and shombo. Pour the oil from the tin of sardines into a frying pan add butter set over medium low heat. When oil is hot, add onions and shombo, fry till it is translucent.
Add dry chili powder and fish, stir, taste and add salt.
Fry for about 1 minute stirring all the time.
Take off the heat and set aside to cool very well.
Melt margarine. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, ginger and salt together. In another bowl, beat egg and melted margarine together, pour into the dry ingredients.
Mix very well to form a soft ball. Knead till it is smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rough rectangle.
Cut into 8 pieces. Put a teaspoonful of filling into the centre of each square.
Rub water around the filling, gather all sides together to form a pouch (like a drawstring purse pulled shot). Press together where they meet then pull the ends edges apart. These tips fry to be crunchy. You can also, form a circle with your thumb and index finger, place one square of dough over this circle. Push the centre to form a pouch, put the filling, rub water around the inside and close your finger and thumb to seal the pouch.
Repeat for all 8 pieces. Put enough vegetable oil in a sauce pan for deep frying, place over medium high heat till it is hot. Fry the sardine pouches till golden brown, drain on kitchen napkins.
Serve with zobo, afterglow, mango lassi etc.
Canned geisha (mackerel in tomato sauce) can also be used but be sure to boil down the tomato sauce.
