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Spiced Egg in Pastry Shells – The South Indian Egg Puffs

Hard boiled egg and  a little  spiced onions  encased in a crisp golden puff pastry  – that is  the  south Indian  Egg Puff.  Just one  is  enough to  quench the  mid afternoon hunger pangs.  Not  surprisingly this is a hot  selling  bakery item.   The  bakeries near  schools  and  offices have  these  delivered  fresh just  in time  for  you to take  a break.  Now  if  you are  not  there in time  –  well  the lose is  yours !

Egg Puffs - South Indian Spiced Egg PastryPuff pastry sheets are easy to come by  in my neck of  the  woods  most of  the  time. The  Mediterranean  and  Asian  stores  stock these in all kinds  of  shapes  of and  sizes.   But  this  was not  the  case  in India.  Few  years back in Bangalore I could not  find  them  in  the  local  super markets.  The only stores  that I found  these  at  were  the high end grocery stores.  The ones  that  were  available  sported ridiculous  price tags.  They were  expensive , because  they were  “imported”.

Am I the only one  baffled  here?  Egg puffs  sell  around 10 to 15 Rs a  piece, but a box of pastry sheets  that  might make  a  dozen or so puffs  costs close  to Rs.1000!  Do they even  realize  what  these  are  made of ?  Just a  few ingredients –  flour  butter  may be a  sprinkling of  water – that is  all it  takes. Why  go  half  way  around  the  world  to get  these?  So if  you  find  yourself   a  similar   situation  here is  my  quick puff pastry recipe .   The  layers are  not  as  distinct  as the  traditional  puff pastry, but it is  flaky and  makes  a  decent  puff pastry.

Egg Puffs - South Indian Spiced Egg Pastry

Puff pastry  with  different  fillings  are  available  in the  stores  year  round.   Minor  difference in the  shapes  help  you  decide   what  the  filling is –   usually the  rectangular  ones  are  the  veg  filled  ones,   the  triangles   will be  filled  with meat  and  the  squares  will be  eggs.  But  don’t  take  my word  for  it,  there are  regional  variations.  So  when  in  doubt  ask the  baker.   To top it  all  there are  other  new comers  to the party –  curried  paneer  or  paneer  tikka  puffs  have  become  quite popular.

For a long  time  I  thought  that  only people of  Kerala  who were  crazy about  these  –  Kerala  Style  Egg Puffs.  But  since  then  I have  discovered  that  egg puffs  have a   fan  following  all over  the  south.  No wonder too – egg is  a  cheap  and  easy  source of  protein  and  many other  vital nutrients.  It  also happens to fall into that  grey  area  between  vegetarians and  non   vegetarians :-).  Often  times consuming  eggs  is  considered to be  a pardonable  offense  against  vegetarian  dietary rules.

Coming  back to the  egg puffs –  the  recipe is  quite  simple.  Put  everything  in a  puff pastry sheet and bake.

Doesn’t that  look  simple  enough ?  Make a  spiced  onion  mix ,  cut the  pastry sheets into about 4″ squares . Place  some  onion mix  and  half  an egg  in the  center of the  puff pastry square, pinch it  close .  Brush  with a little  egg wash and  bake !!!

There is no  hard and  fast  rule  about   half  an  egg. You could quarter  the  eggs  and  make  tiny  puffs  similar  to  my 2 bite  curried chicken  puffs .   I have also  had  egg  puffs  made  with  whole  eggs.   To me  the half  an  egg  version  was  just  right  – guess  mainly because  one  of  these  was  what   all  that I needed   with  my evening  cup of  tea !

Here is  the  recipe in detail .  If you make  this,  or  if  you have  had  these  in a  different  flavors  I would  love  to  hear  from you.

Egg Puffs - South Indian Spiced Egg Pastry

Egg Puffs

By Syama
This  popular  snack  is  made  by encasing  a  boiled  egg  and spiced   onion mix  in a  puff pastry  shell and   baking  to perfection. 
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Indian
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Eggs Hard Boiled
  • Puff Pastry Sheet - Eight 5"squares or equivalent thawed

For Masala

  • 1 Onion Medium
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1/2 Inch Fresh Ginger
  • 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
  • 1/2 Tsp Mild Chili Powder To Taste (See Notes)
  • 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper Ground
  • 1 Pinch Turmeric
  • 2 Tbsp Oil
  • A Few Curry Leaves Optional
  • Salt - To taste

For Egg Wash

  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Tsp Water

Instructions
 

  • Slice the onions fine. Mince the ginger and garlic.
  • Heat oil in a pan and add the curry leaves and sliced onions. Keep the heat at medium and stir fry for a few minutes until the onions soften a little. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and add the minced ginger and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally till the onions become translucent.
  • Add the chili powder, black pepper powder, garam masala and turmeric. Fry for a few minutes until the oil begins to separate from the  mix. Keep the heat at low, taste and adjust salt and spices if needed. Turn off the heat and cool .
  • Pre-heat the oven to 400°F or 210°C.
  • Break an egg into a small bowl and beat with 1 tsp of water to make the  egg wash. Set aside.
  • Shell and halve the eggs.
  • Cut the Puff pastry sheets into  4 "  to 5 " squares. Divide the onion mix into 8 portions. Place half of one portion of onion mix in the middle of the pastry square. Place half the egg on top of the egg mixture followed by the remaining portion of onion mix. . Bring all four corners of the pastry on top of the filling. Overlap each end  slightly over the other  sealing   with  egg wash or  water. . Repeat with the remaining pieces.
  • Transfer the egg puffs onto a baking sheet.
  • Lightly brush the tops of the puffs with the egg wash 
  • Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top .
  • Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Notes

  • If  the pastry sheets are small pinch the corners tightly together  on top. 
  • Black pepper is used for spice while the red chili powder is used for color.Hence usually the sweeter versions like Kashmiri chili powder or paprika are used.

Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.

Tried this recipe?Mention @Oventales or tag #Oventales on Instagram

Here is  my go to method of  hard boiled  eggs.  Arrange the eggs in a pan, pour enough water to immerse the eggs by an inch. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and keep covered for 15 minutes. Drain the water and fill the pot with cold water. Let it cool and shell the eggs.

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Egg Puffs - South Indian Spiced Egg Pastry

If you have  more  pastry  sheets  left over – try these   sweet recipes  as  well

Pasties De Nata 

Valentine Palmiers

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