Curry Puff

Curry Puff is a delicious puff pastry with an Indian twist. It has a filling of potatoes and peas curry or other vegetable curry. Curry Puffs are extremely popular in India and abroad. In the US, they are sold in Indian grocery stores and restaurants. If you want a snack that’s filling (pun intended!) try these spicy pastries.

Servings: 8
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For Pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4-5 tbsp ice water
• 1 tsp vegetable oil (for brushing the tops of the pastry)

For Filling (beans-potato curry)

• 1 cup green beans, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup onions, diced into small pieces
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala or 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp cilantro (coriander leaves), finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 4-5 tsp vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Combine the flour and salt and whisk to mix all the ingredients. (Or, put them in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.)
2. Add butter and cut in into the flour with a fork to form a crumbly mixture (or use the food processor to do this).
3. Add 1 tsp of water at a time and form a thick dough (don’t over-knead the dough; you should see bits of butter in the dough).
4. Form the dough into a round shape, wrap it in a plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°.
6. For the filling, heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onions and some salt, and saute until translucent.
7. Add the beans and potatoes. Sprinkle some and salt and cover and cook until tender. (Or, cook the beans and potatoes with a little salt and water in the microwave for 4-5 minutes or until tender, and add to the sauteed onions.)
8. Add the gram masala, chaat masala, and red chilli powder, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
9. Remove the curry in a bowl, and cool to room temperature. Add the lime juice and cilantro.
10. Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and roll it on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle (about 16×11 inches). Cut the sheet into six 4×4-inch squares.
11. Place 2-3 tsp of the curry in the middle of each square, brush a little water along the edges, and fold them into triangles or rectangles, making sure there are no gaps.
12. Brush the tops of the pastries with a little vegetable oil (optional).
13. Brush a large baking sheet with a little oil and place the pastries on it.
14. Bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
15. Cool the curry puffs for about 10 minutes before serving with masala chai or coffee.

Cooking Tip

If you don’t want to make the pastry dough yourself, use the store-bought puff-pastry sheets ( such as pastry sheets from Pepperidge Farm, available in most grocery stores) for your pastries.

Pastry baking is easy with pastry sheets from Pepperidge Farm.

Preparation

1. Thaw 1 puff pastry sheet from Pepperidge Farm for 40 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 425°F.
3. Roll pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface into a 2 1/2-3-inch wide strip, and cut into 3 squares.
4. Place 2-3 tsp of the curry in the middle of each square, brush a little water along the edges, and fold them into triangles or rectangles, making sure there are no gaps. Press the edges to seal. Repeat with as many pastry sheets as you need.
5. Place the puff pastries on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool the curry puffs on a wire rack for 10 minutes and serve with tea or coffee.

Category: Vegan Appetizer Recipes, Vegetarian Appetizer Recipes, Vegetarian Appetizer Recipes - No-Onion No-Garlic