If you’ve never tried Thai curry puffs (or Malaysian or a Singaporean curry puffs), then you have some important eating to do. Sinking your teeth into the decadent, flaky crust is just the beginning.
The spiced filling—usually including tender potatoes and plump green peas, with curry, onions, garlic, and sometimes ground meat—is the main event.
So Much Delicious, So Little Time
It’s no secret that I love Thai food–you’ll find recipes here for Thai Chicken Satay, Thai Peanut Sauce, and Thai Black Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk. Honestly, for me, the snacks in Thailand alone are worth the hefty price of airfare and hours trapped in a plane (of course I’ll take the sparkling beaches and warm ocean waters, too). Lucky for me, there is a Thai grocery in my neighborhood that sells all sorts of mouthwatering prepared Thai foods. It’s handy that I don’t have to fly halfway around the world for my favorite munchies (but I would!)
This little shop isn’t much to look at, and most days half-empty shelves greet you upon entering. But show up midday on a Saturday and it’s a whole different story. Thai home cooks package noodle dishes, salads, soups, snacks, and desserts, and bring them here to sell. You’ll find spicy rice crisps, piquant noodle salads, soups rich with coconut milk, sweet puddings, and cakes. I always make sure to throw a few of my favorite curry puffs in the mix.
I’ll admit, my Thai curry puffs aren’t totally authentic. I’m a bit too lazy to make the dough from scratch or spend an afternoon deep frying. Instead, I use short pastry or Dufour puff pastry and oven bake—or, even better, air fry!
Fill your Thai curry puffs with any combination of meat and/or vegetables you like. I filled mine with ground chicken, potatoes, and peas cooked with onions, garlic, and spices. Although I use store-bought dough and bake them, my Thai curry puffs taste just like those I ate in Thailand.
This Thai Curry Puffs Recipe Is So Easy!
This curry puff recipe is so easy, you really should drop everything and make it right now. But you probably shouldn’t listen to me. After all, I think it’s reasonable to pay $900 and fly 36 hours (round trip) just to snack my way through Bangkok.
What do you serve them with?
I love to serve these Thai Curry Puffs on their own as a snack, but you can also pair them with other dishes to make a nice Thai meal. Try serving them with Green Papaya Salad, Thai Chicken Curry, or Thai Fried Rice.
Â
Easy Homemade Thai Curry Puffs
Ingredients
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 small onion
diced2 garlic cloves
minced1 small potato
peeled and diced1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ cup water
½ cup frozen peas
1 recipe pastry dough or 1 package puff pastry
thawed if necessary1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add the chicken and continue to cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat with a spatula, until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the curry powder, fish sauce or soy sauce, salt, sugar, and cayenne. Stir in the water and peas and cook, stirring, until the peas are heated through and the liquid is mostly evaporated.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (if using an air fryer, there’s no need to preheat).
- Roll the pastry out to about 1/8- to ¼-inch thick and cut out circles using a 3 ½-inch round pastry cutter (or do what I do and use the ring from a wide-mouth canning jar). You should have 12 rounds.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling mixture onto each of the pastry rounds, fold them over, and crimp the edges with a fork. Brush with the egg wash.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Hello! What kind of curry powder do you use? I’ve tried Jamaican and Chinese and neither came out quite right.
Hi Ryan, I use just a basic “Indian” curry powder, just the kind you buy in the spice section in the super market that is labeled “curry powder.” The one I have in my cupboard now has coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, black pepper, and cayenne. If you can, find one that doesn’t have salt in it since the recipe has other salty ingredients.
Can you pre make these and freeze before cooking?
Yes! You can freeze them before baking and then bake as directed, adding a few minutes onto the baking time. Or you can freeze after baking and let them thaw before reheating them in the oven.
Hi Robin, could you use beef mince instead of chicken mince for similar results?
Sure, you could use any ground meat–beef, pork, lamb, etc.