“It’s used by everyone from professional journalists to amateur cooks” — Ev Williams (Welcome to Medium, August 14, 2012).
Based on the previous sentence, I decided to dedicate my first “official” post on Medium: my humble attempt at Egg Puffs — buttery puff pastry filled with blend of spices and of course eggs .
This right here brings me back to one of my fondest childhood memories — specifically to a cafe (also known as a bakery in India) called Manath Bakers. Even though this place was only a quick five minute walk from my old apartment in Kerala, thinking about it still stirs my emotions and connects me to my nostalgic taste buds. Even when I moved, there was never a time when I visited a bakery in Kerala and didn’t leave the place without getting an egg puff. Although there are variations such as meat puffs, shrimp puffs, vegetable puffs — egg puffs will always have a special place in my heart.
On that note…
Ingredients on display — for 6 egg puffs.
Thinly slice the onion. Dice the tomato. Finely chop curry leaves, garlic cloves, ginger, and green chilies (you can avoid the green chilies if you prefer a less spicy dish). I used a food processor, but if you got the chopping skills then toss that food processor away.
Start by boiling the eggs and set that aside. Add 1 tsp oil (I used olive oil — but any oil should work just fine) into a wide pan. Add the onion, 1 tsp of salt, and then saute until translucent.
Add the FINELY chopped ingredients and keep sauteing until the RAW fragrant disappears. It takes about 4 to 5 minutes. I have an expert (aka my mom) at home who can tell when it’s ready for the next step. According to her words of wisdom “use your sense of smell”🤯
Ahhh the spices. Move the onion mixture to the sides of the pan. Then add 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, and 1/4 tsp fennel powder.
Add 1 tsp oil to the middle and pray that it stays in the middle. Clearly mine didn’t. BUT it’s all good people. This is not the end of the world. Mix the spices well and coat it with oil. Slowly incorporate the cooked onion mixture. Keep sauteing until the RAW fragrant disappears. It should take about 5 to 6 minutes. Again, I am not quite sure when I will become the “spice smell connoisseur”.
After about 6 minutes, it should look like this. If the mixture looks a little dry, you can add 1–2 tbsp hot water and let it cook.
Add the diced tomatoes. Use a lid to cover the pan and let it cook. Keep stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn at the bottom (this might not be the best time to finish a series on Netflix).
Almost cooked mixture.
Add 1/4 tsp garam masala and sprinkle some curry leaves. Mix it well.
Allow the mixture to cool.
In the meantime, thaw the puff pastry as per the package instructions. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Divide the thawed puff pastry sheet into 6 squares.
Make sure the mixture is completely cooled. Spread 1 -1.5 tbsp (depending on how thick you want it — I like my egg puffs with extra filling) of the mixture on each puff pastry square evenly. Follow it by placing half egg on top.
Apply egg wash on all four sides of the square. Recipe for EGG WASH — err well according to my recent Google search, you need egg (DUHHH) and beat it with water, milk, or cream. I used water.
Bring together the diagonally opposite sides and seal. Use your finger muscles to seal tight.
Place the sealed puffs on parchment paper.
Apply the egg wash all over the sealed puffs and then into the preheated oven it goes.
Bake for 20–25 minutes in the preheated oven or until the puff pastry is golden in color.
Happiness is real.
Serve the hot puffs with ketchup or hot sauce. I like it with Maggi Chili Sauce (drools). I also like a good cup of tea to accompany this.
There you go — buttery pastry, spices, protein, love, childhood…the list goes on…
Let me know in the comment box if you get a chance to make this.
With childhood and puff pastry crumbs,
A, Ben.
P.S. All photos are taken with Canon EOS Rebel T6i.
