Little Laundry Bundles (Meat Snacks)

This is an old traditional South African snack, simple and easy to make, and well worth trying as people seem to love them. The Afrikaans name is "Wasgoedbondeltjies", translated in the title! In these modern times I'd serve them with a bowl of Thai Sweet Chilli sauce as a dip. Please note that you can choose which pastry to use -- soda water pastry or puff pastry -- so you can either deepfry them, or bake the puff pastry bundles in the oven.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 20 snacks

Ingredients

• Meat

• 1 1⁄2 lbs minced beef (750 g)
• 1  tablespoon  oil (15 ml)
• 2  onions, finely chopped
• 1  large potato, roughly grated
• 3  garlic cloves, chopped and crushed
• 1  teaspoon mixed spice (5 ml)
• 2  teaspoons salt (10 ml)
• 1⁄3 cup  meat broth (85 ml) or 1⁄3 cup  pasta sauce with meat (85 ml) or 1⁄3 cup  gravy (85 ml)
•  fresh ground black pepper

• Soda water pastry (or use bought puff pastry)

• 1  lb all-purpose flour (500 g) or 1  lb cake flour (500 g)
• 2  teaspoons baking powder (10 ml)
• 1  teaspoon salt (5 ml)
• 1  lb butter (500 g)
• 1  tablespoon brandy (15 ml) or 1  tablespoon Bourbon (15 ml) or 1  tablespoon rum (15 ml)
• 1  cup soda water (250 ml)
• 1  whole clove
•  oil (for deep frying)

Directions

1. Fry the meat in the oil, stirring, until it turns colour.
2. Add the onion, garlic and grated potato, stirring now and then.
3. When onion is translucent, add the mixed spice, salt, pepper and meat broth/sauce/gravy.
4. Bring to boil, lower heat, put on lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Leave to cool.
6. Please note that you can use shop-bought puff pastry. Roll it a little thinner and prepare the same 3 x 3 inch squares as described below, and use the same method, except that puff pastry will need to be painted with beaten egg to get a nice goldenbrown colour in the oven.
7. The soda water pastry: sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
8. Grate or chop in the butter (if butter is firm, use the coarsest side of a cheese grater).
9. Rub in butter with your fingers and palms until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
10. Add the booze, and enough soda water to form a fairly soft dough.
11. Roll out the pastry, about 1/8 inch thick (3mm) -- it should be thinly rolled out. Use extra flour on your rolling pin and surface to help the process.
12. Cut pastry into 3 x 3 inch squares (7.5 x 7.5 cm).
13. Place a little of the meat mixture in the centre of each square, draw up the corners and press lightly together, and secure each with a clove. (Meat should be enclosed in the pastry).
14. In the meantime, heat oil for deep-frying. You could also use a wok half-filled with oil, over high heat.
15. If you do not want to deep-fry, heat oven to 400 deg F/400 deg Celsius.
16. Deep-fry the bundles in batches until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper, OR paint the puff pastry bundles with beaten egg, and bake in preheated oven until they are golden, about 15 minutes, but do check.
17. Serve hot or cold.