I love 💕 curry puffs. It is a real treat when my mother-in-law makes them for us on special occasions. Curry puffs (or karipap) are a Malaysian pie filled with Indian curry spiced meat and potatoes. Chicken or beef are the usual meat proteins used, but they can also be made completely vegetarian by leaving out the meat part from the ingredients.
Curry puffs are fried. This gives the outer crust a crispy and crumbly texture. However, I have also baked them for a healthier alternative and they taste just as delicious. But baked curry puffs will not have that beautiful golden-brown colour of a fried version. As for taste, it most closely resembles a samosa, but different. You really have to try this little snack to understand how delicious they are.
Making the curry puffs is the fun part. You can either go the traditional route by rolling the pastry into flattened rounds, adding the meat filler, and then pinch them to create a pleated seal before frying. Or you can speed up the process by using a variety of different tools from a dumpling maker to a ravioli mould. I attached photos of all the kitchen tools I have used which all work. The ravioli mould is my favourite tool for curry puffs because they can produce many more mini curry puffs to share. People will be fighting over these. Luckily, this recipe and ravioli mould will make ~50 mini curry puff bites.
Leave a comment below 👇 letting me know which technique you used or if you have any questions, please ask in the comments.
Don’t let the long recipe scare you. I provided very careful step-by-step. It is simpler than making pizza and the reward in the end is worth it. Plus everybody will enjoy this little snack.
Preparing the Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (113g) margarine or salted butter (left out at room temperature to soften)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons ice cold water (may not need all)
Puff Pastry Tip
1/2 teaspoons of turmeric can help the curry puff achieve that golden brown color when baking. Otherwise, the curry puffs could be pasty white.
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt evenly with a whisk in a mixing bowl.
- Cut in softened butter to the flour mixture. Keep cutting until the butter pieces are very small (smaller than a corn kernel).
- Slowly add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time and knead (for about 6-8 minutes) until dough is soft and smooth.
- You may NOT need to use all of the cold water suggested.
- Dough should NOT be too crumbly (not enough water) or too sticky (too much water).
- Put dough in a bowl and cover with damp (not wet) cloth.
- Let dough rise for 15-30 mins.
Cooking the Meat Filling
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (diced)
- 1 piece dried chilli (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons meat curry powder
- 1 (200g) medium-sized potato cut into small cubes (very small pea sized) and soaked in cold water (to prevent browning)
- 3/4 lbs (330g) ground chicken (easier) or chopped chicken fillets
- 1/4 cup sweet peas
- 1 teaspoon table salt or seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
(Optional Ingredients)
- 150g prawns cut into small pieces; or
- 5g piece of belachan (Malaysian fermented prawn/shrimp paste)
Instructions
- Boil or microwave the potato until el dente. Do not let it cook too soft because it will cook some more in the skillet.
- Sauté onions in an oiled skillet on medium-low heat until golden brown. About 6-8 minutes.
- Sauté garlic, dried chillies, and curry powder in the onions until aromatic. About 2-3 minutes.
- Add chicken and seasonings (salt, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce).
- Add cooked potatoes.
- Add the optional shrimp ingredients now.
- Stop cooking when the chicken is fully cooked. About 10 minutes.
- Let cool before making curry puffs.
Cooking Tips
- For extra flavour, marinate the chicken with soy sauce beforehand.
- If the filling is getting too dry while cooking, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time.
Assembling the Curry Puffs
There are two ways to put the curry puffs together: The “traditional” Malaysian way or the “easier” my way.
Easier Instructions
- Cut the dough into quarters and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness. Roll the dough through a pasta roller starting from setting 1 and stopping at setting 4 (about 3mm thickness).
- Using a small dumpling maker or a ravioli mould, place the dough on the tool. Add the curry puff filling (1 tablespoon for dumpling maker, 1/2 tablespoon for ravioli mould). Baste the outer edge of the dough with water to act as glue and fold/seal the curry puffs.
- Heat cooking oil on medium-low heat until hot. Test with leftover dough as it should bubble when fried. Fry the curry puffs until golden brown. If the oil is too hot, the pastry will brown/burn too quickly on the outside before the inside is cooked.
Traditional Instructions
- Cut the dough in half. Roll dough out into a 1″ thick log. Cut off 1″ of dough and make into a ball. Flatten into round pancakes about 3mm thick. You could also use a pasta roller to make these rounds.
- Roll, fold, and pinch the curry puff edges with your fingers as if you were making perogies. The design/pattern will be unique to you. 😀
- Heat cooking oil on medium-low heat until hot. Test with leftover dough as it should bubble when fried. Fry the curry puffs until golden brown. If the oil is too hot, the pastry will brown/burn too quickly on the outside before the inside is cooked.
Healthier Cooking Tips
- Baste the curry puffs with egg yolk wash (for browning). Bake in the oven at 350F for 10 mins. Flip, baste, and bake the other side for another 10 minutes.
- Also see the tip about adding turmeric into the pastry to help with the colouring.
The Final Product
Curry Puff Maker Kitchen Tool
Links to the products on Amazon are affiliate links. Buying the products using these links helps me buy a cup of Starbucks. 😊
👍 Ravioli Maker – (https://amzn.to/3vN9TWg) This is my favourite because it makes small bites and makes it so easy to make curry puffs.
👉 Plastic Dumpling Maker – (https://amzn.to/3vP42zL) This will give you a more consistent cuff puffs shape similar to how they are traditionally made.
👉 Metal Dumpling Maker – (https://amzn.to/2XRzNMa) Similar to the plastic version, this one is smaller. I don’t like this as much because of the sharp pieces of metal. Be careful.
👉 Egg Rounder – (https://amzn.to/3EenVmI) This one is used for cutting the pastry into rounds after flattening, but sealing the ends are done by hand. Very traditional style of making curry puffs.
