Destination
Krabi
The story
Curry puff (kari puk in Thai) is one of Bangkok's most-loved tea-time snacks and a legacy of the wider British-colonial-Southeast-Asian curry-puff tradition that runs from Singapore through Malaysia to Thailand: flaky pastry pockets filled with a mildly-spiced yellow curry of minced chicken, cubed potato and onion, folded into a half-moon or spiral pleated shape, and deep-fried until deep golden and crackling. Sold at every Bangkok bakery, every tea shop, every 7-Eleven grab-and-go counter and every hotel afternoon-tea spread. The curry puffs at Old Siam Plaza and the specialist curry puff shops in Bangkok's Chinatown are the most classical addresses.
Method
Warm oil in a wide pan. Cook onion 5 minutes. Add garlic 60 seconds. Add curry paste and cumin; fry 3 minutes.
Add minced chicken, break up, brown 6 minutes.
Add diced potato, coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar and salt. Simmer 15 minutes until potatoes are tender and mixture is thick and mostly dry.
Fold in coriander. Cool completely — hot filling melts the pastry.
Roll puff pastry 3mm thick. Cut into 12cm circles.
Place 1 heaped tbsp filling in the middle of each circle. Fold in half to make a half-moon. Press edges with a fork to seal. Alternatively, crimp with a rope-pleat pattern along the curved edge.
Heat oil to 175C. Brush each puff with egg wash. Fry 3 to 4 at a time for 4 minutes total, turning, until deep golden and puffed. Drain on rack.
Serve warm with sweet chili sauce, cucumber and lime wedges. Best within 30 minutes of frying.
Tips
- Cool the filling. Hot filling gives you unshapeable puff pastry.
- Seal well. Any gap and the filling leaks and burns.
- 175C oil. A thermometer helps.
- All-butter puff. The buttery flavour is half the pleasure. Margarine puff pastry is a false economy.
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