A curry puff (; Jawi: ; ; , , ) is a

snack A snack is a small portion of Human food, food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including Food packaging, packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at ho ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n origin. It is a small turnover containing a filling of

curry Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...

, often of

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

and

potatoes The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

, in a fried or baked pastry shell. The consistency of the curry is quite thick to prevent it from oozing out of the snack. ''Pap'' or ''puff'' reflects the Fujian Chinese dialect (''pop''), which means 'bubble, blister, puffed'. It contains influences from Indian, Malay and Chinese cuisines. Many variations of the snack exist throughout Southeast Asia and India, where it is a popular snack food. Although its origins are uncertain, the snack is believed to have developed in maritime Southeast Asia due in part to the various influences of the British Cornish

pasty A pasty () or Cornish pasty is a British baked turnover pastry, a variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, but has spread all over the British Isles, and elsewhere through the Cornish diaspora. It consists of a filling, ty ...

, the Portuguese

empanada An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover (food), turnover consisting of pastry and stuffing, filling, common in Culture of Spain, Spain, other Southern European countries, North African countries, South Asian countries, Latin American c ...

and the South Asian

samosa A samosa () () (Hindi: समोसा) ( Persian: سمبوسه) is a fried South Asian and West Asian snack. It is a pastry with a savory filling that mostly consists of vegetables like spiced potatoes, onions, and peas, but can also include ...

during the colonial era. The curry puff is one of several "puff"-type pastries with different fillings, though now it is by far the most common. Other common varieties include eggs, sardines, root vegetables and onions, or sweet fillings such as yam.

Regional variations

India

In Indian bakeries, vegetarian curry puffs with fillings like potatoes, carrots and onions are commonly available. They are generally sold as "veg puffs".

Indonesia

In Indonesia, a curry puff is known as a ''

pastel A pastel () is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder (material), binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among other forms. The pigments used in pastels are ...

'', although pastels do not necessarily contain any curry powder.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, curry puffs are commonly known as and sold freshly fried at many Malay, Chinese and Indian bakeries, bazaars and street food stalls. The curry puffs from Indian bakeries differ from ' in the use of layered pastry that creates a flaky crust. Other varieties of the ' are filled with half a boiled egg instead of chicken. Another alternative is tinned

sardines Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it come ...

. There are also vegetarian curry puffs that are not spicy and made from shredded radish, tofu, potatoes and grated carrots. They are often eaten with sweet chili sauce.

Myanmar (Burma)

The curry puff is a common snack sold in

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

s and

tea shops A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only serve ...

throughout Myanmar, where is it known as (; ). The traditional filling is

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

meat and potato spiced with

garam masala Garam masala (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ''garam masālā'', ) is a Spice mix, blend of ground spices originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in Indian cuisine, Indian, Pakistani cuisine, Pakistani, Nepalese cuisine, Nepale ...

, onions, powdered chili peppers, garlic, and ginger.

Singapore

Curry puffs are commonly seen in ''

pasar malam ''Pasar malam'' is a Malay language, Malay word that literally means "night market" (the word ''pasar'' comes from ''bazaar'' in Persian language, Persian). A ''pasar malam'' is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore that o ...

s'', bakeries and food stalls in shopping centres. Additionally, the aforementioned is a popular variation in some of Singapore's hawker centres, usually amongst Malay stalls. Alternatively, the more common type of curry puff has a thick or flaky English-style crust, with a mixture of Chinese and Indian styles in the filling. They may also be categorised into hand-made or mass-produced machine-made puffs in triangular shape or half wrapped circular shape. Both variations are popular in Singapore. Curry puff variations are usually denoted by coloured dye markings on the side of the puffs. Other puff snacks modelled on the curry puff concept have also been introduced, for example puffs with yam,

durian The durian () is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognized species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the only species ...

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

red bean Red bean is a common name for several varieties of beans and plants and may refer to: * ''Small red beans'', also known as "Mexican red beans," "Central American red beans," and "New Orleans red beans" * Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly ...

, ''

nata de coco ''Nata de coco'', also marketed as coconut gel, is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food produced by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by '' Komagataeibacter xylinus''. Originating i ...

'',

grass jelly Grass jelly, also known as leaf jelly or herbal jelly, is a Gelatin, jelly-like dessert originating in China. It is commonly consumed in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is created by using Platostoma palustre, Chinese mesona (a member of the ...

, bird's nest and even

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...

fillings. Besides the more uncommon fillings mentioned, there are also more conventional flavours which are popular with locals. These puffs are readily available in Singapore, which include sardine, black-pepper chicken and tuna fillings. In Singapore, Old Chang Kee has been selling curry puffs for over 60 years and now has outlets all over Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Thailand

In Thailand, a curry puff is known as a (). Assumed to have been adapted from the Portuguese ''

'', it arrived in Thailand during the

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

in the reign of King

Narai King Narai the Great (, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Prasat Thong dynasty. He was the king of Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous king of the ...

(1633–1688) from Portuguese-Japanese-Bengali cook

Maria Guyomar de Pinha Maria Guyomar de Pina (; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in French), Thao Thong Kip Ma (), was a Siamese woman from Ayutthaya. She was of mixed Jap ...

, along with many Thai desserts such as ''

thong yip ''Thong yip'' (, ) or pinched gold egg yolks is one of the nine auspicious traditional Thai desserts. It is usually made for important occasions and ceremonies such as weddings, ordinations, and housewarmings. ''Thong yip'' was brought to Ayutt ...

'', '' thong yot'', '' foi thong'' and ''

luk chup Luk chup (, ), also spelled look choop, is a type of Thai dessert derived from marzipan, a recipe from Portugal, called . The Portuguese used almonds as the main ingredient but, given the absence of almonds in Thailand, they were replaced by mung ...

''. Notable areas where ' is popular are Amphoe Muak Lek, and Saraburi province in

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central Plain) (historically also known as Siam or Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by the Phetchabun Mount ...

, where

filling is used.

Common ingredients

Curry powder Curry powder is a spice mix for curry originating from the Indian subcontinent, adapted from but not to be confused with the native spice mix of garam masala. History As commercially available in Western markets, curry powder is comparable t ...

* Potatoes * A small piece of hard-boiled

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

* Meat, usually beef or chicken * Onions *

Puff pastry Puff pastry, also known as , is a light, flaky pastry, its base dough () composed of wheat flour and water. Butter or other solid fat () is then layered into the dough. The dough is repeatedly rolled and folded, rested, re-rolled and folded, encas ...

Cream cheese Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Cream cheese is not naturally matured and is meant to be consumed fresh, so it differs from other soft cheeses such as Brie and Neuf ...

, used mainly in

Americanized Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of the American culture and economy on other countries outside the United States, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, technology ...

variations of the food * Sardines

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry Puff Indonesian snack foods Indian snack foods Bruneian cuisine Malay cuisine Malaysian cuisine Singaporean cuisine Burmese desserts and snacks Thai desserts and snacks Deep fried foods Savoury pies Stuffed dishes Southeast Asian curries