Veg Puff Recipe | Indian Curry Puff

A lot has been said, in fact argued, on how there’s a difference of skills required for baking versus simple cooking. I totally agree on baking being an art, that requires passion, precision, time and efforts to master. But with focus and following a recipe properly, anyone can develop an expertise. This Veg Puff recipe is what you can begin with, to fulfill those baking dreams. Veg Puff made with mixed veggies is also known as Curry Puff.

A li’l About Puff Pastry

The puff pastry sheet used in this Veg Puff recipe has its own story. ‘Pate Feuilletee,’ ‘Detrempe’ are some of its other names. Puff Pastry has its origin in France.

The main ingredients of a puff pastry are all-purpose flour, butter (or shortening), water and salt. Basically its a laminated dough made with alternate layers of butter and dough.

You must have also heard about ‘phyllo’ or ‘filo,’ which is a Greek style super thin unleavened dough that is used to make popular Middle Eastern delicacies like baklava, borek, etc.

Phyllo dough is however very different than puff pastry dough. Phyllo dough is made with flour, salt, water and sometimes vinegar and olive oil are added.

The dough is rolled or stretched into very thin sheets. These paper thin sheets are brushed with melted butter or oil and stacked or folded when making pastries or pies.

Preparing a classic puff pastry is a laborious and time-consuming procedure. So, humans invented recipe variations that get done faster. These are the ‘rough puff,’ ‘flaky pastry’ or ‘blitz.’

This Veg Puff version of mine uses the rough puff pastry sheets. Other products like croissant, Spanish milhoja/empanada or Danish pastry can be made by leavening a puff pastry with baker’s yeast.

About Veg Puff Recipe

Since the day I had posted my puff pastry recipe, I had been getting a lot of requests to share a Veg Puff recipe too.

So, I finally developed one that will give you the exact feeling on munching on a yummy, flaky Veg Puff at any of the popular Indian bakeries. In Mumbai, you’ll find these puffs named as Veg Patties.

This Veg Puff recipe is made using my homemade pastry sheets because I really wanted to keep the rustic homemade feel all throughout.

You can refer to this foolproof recipe of Rough Puff Pastry and make your sheets at home. You can also make these absolutely delish Mushroom Puffs and Pizza Puffs with your homestyle puff pastry.

Carrots, potatoes and green peas is what I have used for the vegetable stuffing in this Veg Puff recipe.

You choose yours and make it. If at all using store-bought puff pastry sheets, follow the instructions on the package before processing it to stuff with the vegetable mixture.

Measurements in this recipe will give you about 8 to 10 puffs. You bite into one just as it is, and you won’t be able to control, but to gorge on many more.

If you can control, then dip in tomato ketchup or green cilantro chutney and have. Curry Puffs makes for a filling, scrumptious snack.

How to make Veg Puff

Cook Vegetables

1. Rinse, peel and chop 2 small to medium potatoes and 1 small to medium carrot in small cubes. You will need ½ cup chopped potatoes and ⅓ to ½ cup chopped carrots. Take them in a small pan or bowl. Also, add ⅓ cup green peas.

2. Now, place this pan in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Before placing the pan in pressure cooker, add 1.5 cup water in the cooker. Place a small trivet in the pressure cooker and place the pan with the veggies on it.

Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles or 8 to 9 minutes or till the vegetables are steamed well and are fork tender.

3. When the pressure settles down naturally in the cooker, open the lid and check if the vegetables are cooked well or not.

You can also steam or cook the vegetables in a pot, pan or steamer. Strain the vegetables and keep aside.

Make Veggie Curry Filling

4. Heat 1.5 to 2 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai (wok). Add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.

5. Begin to sauté the onions on low to medium heat. You can also sauté the onions till they turn golden.

6. Sauté till the onions turn a light golden. You can also sauté the onions until they turn golden.

7. Next, add ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste.

8. Stir and sauté till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

9. Add the steamed vegetables.

10. Mix well.

11. Next, add the following spices – ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder and ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.

You can also add ¼ teaspoon coriander powder if you want.

12. Mix the ground spices evenly with the rest of the vegetables.

13. Season with salt according to taste.

14. Mix again and turn off the heat. Check the taste and add more red chilli powder or garam masala powder if required.

15. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Mix well and keep the vegetable filling aside till it cools down to room temperature.

The veggie filling should be cooled completely before you stuff it in the puff pastry.

Assemble, Fill and Shape

16. Before you begin making the puffs, preheat the oven to 250 degrees C/480 degrees F for at least 15 minutes. I have used homemade rough puff pastry here as mentioned above.

Note: If using packaged puff pastry sheets, let them thaw for 30 to 45 minutes till they are pliable and easy to roll and handle. But remember the dough has to be cold.

17. Sprinkle some flour and gently roll the pastry a bit to even it. If you used the puff pastry recipe, which I have posted on the website, then slice the puff pastry in 2 or 3 parts.

Take just one part, wrap the remaining in a foil or cling film and refrigerate or freeze. I used 2 parts. One for making Veg Puff and the second one for making Pizza Puffs.

18. Sprinkle some flour on the dough as well as the work surface. Roll the puff pastry evenly to get a ¼ to ½ inch thick base.

With a store-brought puff pastry sheets, you won’t have to do this step, as these sheets come pre-rolled. So move ahead to step 20 if the sheets are not cut.

19. Here is the rolled puff pastry dough.

20. Now, cut in rectangles. For a neater finish, you can trim the edges if you want. The trimmed edges can be joined to make a dough or you can just roll them up and bake with the curry puff.

Note: For frozen puff pastry dough, first thaw them, roll if needed and then cut into equal rectangles or squares.

21. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vegetable filling in the center.

22. Brush the edges with water.

23. Then, join and lightly press the edges of each Veg Puff. Don’t press too much as we want the layers in them.

24. If you want, you can even press lightly with a fork to give some design. Some milk can also be brushed on the Veg Puff to get a golden color.

Bake Curry Puff

25. Now, place the Veg Puffs in the preheated oven on the center rack with both the top and bottom heating elements on.

26. Bake Veg Puffs for 15 to 20 minutes at 200 degrees C/400 degrees F or until the crust becomes golden.

Note: Since oven temperatures vary, keep a check while baking Curry Puffs. If your oven does not have a temperature of 200 degrees C/400 degrees F, then use the maximum temperature in your oven for both preheating and baking.

27. Once baked perfectly, remove the tray from the oven with the help of oven mitts.

Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and with a spatula (or with your hands if you can tolerate the heat) lift the puffs and place on a wire rack.

28. Serve Veg Puff warm or at room temperature with green chutney, coriander (cilantro) chutney or tomato ketchup.

If not serving, then once they cool down, store the curry puffs in an airtight box or container. They keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Expert Tips

1. Other than the vegetables mentioned in this recipe, you can add more or less veggies of your choice. Cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers (capsicum), sweet corn, cabbage are some good options to choose from.
2. If not using a pressure cooker, steam the vegetables in a pot/pan or a steamer or the Instant Pot.
3. Levels of red chili powder and garam masala powder in the veggie stuffing can be adjusted according to your preferences. Coriander powder can also be added in the vegetable mixture.
4. If you do not have garam masala powder, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of curry powder but do not add the turmeric powder. This is due to the fact that curry powder has turmeric powder as one of its spices.
5. Make sure that the puff pastry is pliable, easy to roll and cold. If the parts of the dough starts sticking and appears soft, place it back in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Use a homemade puff pastry or buy it from a store, the choice is yours. Though, homemade is always better. While using a ready made puff pastry, keep it for 30 to 45 minutes to thaw so that it is easy to fill and roll. Do read the instructions on the pack on thawing the pastry sheets.
7. Brush the stuffed veg puffs or curry puffs with some milk to get a nice golden color on top.
8. Temperature markings vary between different models of oven. If yours doesn’t have a temperature of 200 degrees C/400 degrees F, then use whatever the maximum temperature is in your oven; both for preheating and baking.

FAQs

This Veg Puff recipe from the blog archives first published in August 2016 has been updated and republished on September 2023.