Karipap: Malaysian Curry Empanadas
[Vegan, Gluten-Free]

To Make the Dough:

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. In a large bowl, combine and whisk together the gluten-free all-purpose flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.
3. Pour 1 1/2 cups of just-boiled water into the well in the bowl, stir, and combine the flour.
4. Then add in the rest of the boiled water gradually as you use your hands to knead the dough until you have a smooth dough and is not sticky.
5. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Transfer to sealable bags and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour.

To Make the Filling:

1. Place all the ingredients for the chili paste into a food processor and blend until you get a smooth paste.
2. Heat up a frying pan with 3 tablespoons of rice bran oil. Stir-fry the chili paste, the curry powder, and curry leaves for 3 minutes on low heat or until aromatic.
3. Then, add in all the sweet potatoes and stir-fry for 10-15 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft, stirring frequently.
4. Follow by adding in all the chickpeas, peas, coconut cream, and salt, stir and combine all the ingredients for another 2 minutes on low heat. Discard curry leaves and set aside in a large bowl to cool.

To Make the Pastry:

1. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with some gluten-free flour.
2. Remove one bag of dough from the refrigerator and divide the dough into four smaller portions.
3. Working with one portion at a time, roll into ropes of 1 1/2-inch thickness.
4. Cut each rope into 1 1/2-inch pieces and roll them into balls.
5. Flatten each ball into a disc or patty. Use the rolling pin to roll each ball into a circle.
6. Continue to roll out each dough, turning it as you roll, to form a thin, 4-inch round pastry.
7. Spoon some filling onto the middle of each pastry. With lightly dusted fingers, carefully press and seal the edges together. Press until the edges are thinned out.
8. Using your fingers, fold over the edge, then twist and fold to form rope-like edge.
9. Set aside on a tray until ready to deep-fry.

To Make the Curry Puffs:

1. Heat up a wok half filled with rice bran oil. Deep-fry each filled pastry for around 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on medium-low heat. Turn the pastry a few times to brown evenly during frying. Drain on kitchen paper towels.
2. Repeat until all the curry puffs pastries are cooked. Deep-fry the pastries in 4-5 batches.