short-crust pastry for a 10-in. pie (sweet or not - I've made it both ways).
Preheat oven to 375 deg., gas mark 5. Melt butter in skillet. Fry onions
until soft, then add chiles, ginger, and garlic; simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add beef, break up all lumps, and cook until no longer pink. Add spices,
salt, lime juice and coconut (one is supposed to use fresh grated, but I
find that the limes juice plumps up the dessicated just fine). This will
taste hot without the pastry, but will be less hot when wrapped in the
pastry, so if you want it really hot, then start with more chiles.
Roll out the pastry; cut into 2 1/2 in. rounds (I use a little thali dish
this size). Place about a teaspoon of beef in the centre of each round of
dough, moisten round the edge with a finger dipped in water, and then fold
into half-moon shapes. Press the edges together with your fingers or crimp
with a fork. Freeze the ones you don't want to use immediately on a baking
sheet and then they'll stay happily in a freezer bag until you need them.
Bake puffs you do want on a baking sheet at the above temperature for 25-30
minutes until they are brown and the innards are singing (frozen ones bake
from frozen for maybe another 5 minutes extra). They can be served at room
tremperature, but are really fine hot.
