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Malu paan
Fish-filled bread buns
මාළු පාන් (malu paan): soft triangular bakery buns filled with spiced fish and potato
Sri LankanAsk any Sri Lankan what they miss from home and malu paan comes up quickly, the soft, slightly sweet triangular bun from the neighbourhood bakery van or a Colombo railway station kiosk, split open to reveal a spicy filling of fish, potato, onion and curry leaves. Office workers buy two with a plain tea for an afternoon snack, children find them in their school bags, and they appear at every short-eats spread. Tinned mackerel is the usual filling at home and gives the right rich, savoury taste, and the dough needs about 1 1/2 hours to rise. Don't make the classic error of using a wet filling, which soaks the dough and stops the buns from baking through at the seams. Chef's tip: cook the filling until it is quite dry and let it cool completely, then pinch the three corners of each bun firmly so they stay closed in the oven.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm milk
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 ⅜ oz soft butter
- 1 eggbeaten, for glazing
For the filling
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper
- 15 oz tinned mackerel in brinedrained, bones removed, flaked
- 10 ½ oz potatoesboiled, peeled and roughly mashed
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lime juice
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl, then add ¾ cup warm milk and ¾ cup warm water and stir to a shaggy dough.
3 minStep 2: Knead for 5 minutes, add 1 ⅜ oz soft butter and knead for 5 minutes more until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
90 minStep 4: Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat, fry 1 sprig curry leaves for 10 seconds, then add 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic and 2 green chillies and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
10 minStep 5: Add 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper, 15 oz tinned mackerel in brine, 10 ½ oz potatoes and 1 /2 tsp salt and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes until quite dry and steaming hot. Stir in 1 tbsp lime juice and cool completely.
5 minStep 6: Knock back the dough and divide into 12 balls. Flatten each to a 12 cm round, put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre and fold up three sides to meet in the middle, pinching the seams to form a triangle.
10 minStep 7: Set on lined trays, cover loosely and leave for 30 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan).
30 minStep 8: Brush with 1 egg and bake for 18–20 minutes until deep golden and the bases sound hollow when tapped. Cool for 10 minutes before eating.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malu paan take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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