This savory snack can be found at every corner store and bakery,
it is basically a pocket of puff pastry with fillings of mince, prawns, potatoes
and peas, egg and even the more non-traditional cheese. Best had warm from the
oven with a cup of chai, they are a perfect anytime snack. The extra time and
effort you put in into making these puffs is directly proportionate to the
compliments you will get on making these little pockets of savory goodness at
home, I promise.
When I was first
learning to bake, I thought mastering the art of puff pastry was a rite of
passage from a baking enthusiast to an expert. Here is a classic recipe if you
want to take a shot at it. Making this
delicate, flaky pastry usually takes at least half a day, but the
result—hundreds of puffed, crisp, and buttery layers—was, in my mind, the
ultimate kitchen achievement. Then I
discovered that most bakers use a shortcut ‘rough puff pastry’ that takes only a fraction
of the time to make. Though the results are not quite as spectacular in terms
of height, rough puff pastry is just as irresistibly flaky, buttery, and tender
as traditional puff pastry. You can use this recipe to make cheese straws, cream horns, or as a crust for baked forminhas
(tarts) or pies. I have used this easy recipe to make my Goan Puffs/Patties, if
you are time starved or just couldn’t bother with the effort you could also use
some readymade puff pastry.
For the Puff Filling
Choose from the following options. Make about 2 cups of filling
as the recipe for puff pastry makes about 18 puffs/patties.
Beef/Chicken Mince cooked
with onions, and some green Cafreal masala
Goan Sausages cooked with
onions and potatoes
Shredded boneless chicken
and grated cheese mixed with some thick béchamel sauce
Prawn Chilly Fry
Boiled egg, halved, with
salt and pepper
Cocktail sausages
Potato bhaji with peas
For the Rough Puff
Pastry
This batch makes about 18 medium sized puffs
Ingredients
225 grams
refined wheat flour (maida)
140 grams
butter, chilled
120-150
ml ice cold water
1 teaspoon
salt
Sift the flour and
salt into the cold cubes of butter. Using a knife or fork cut the butter into
cubes into the flour. Flatten any large chunks of butter with just your
fingertips. Add the ice-cold water a little at a time to loosely bind the
dough. Mix the dough with the fork until it just hangs together. Shape the
messy, shaggy dough into a rough rectangle and roll it out until it's 1/2 inch
thick. Resist the temptation to overwater or overwork the dough; it will
eventually hold together.
Now, fold the dough
into thirds like a business letter. Don't worry if it folds in pieces. Turn the
package of dough 90 degrees so the folds run vertically. Square off the edges of
the dough as you work. Roll the dough into a rectangle that's 1/2 inch thick,
always rolling from open end to open end. Continue rolling, folding, and
turning until the dough looks smooth. By four or five "turns," the
dough should hang together. Brush off excess flour as you fold. Wrap the dough
and chill it for half an hour before giving it two final turns. At this point,
you can then use the dough, though another short rest will make rolling and
shaping easier.
Assembling the Puffs
Roll out
dough into a one centimeter thick sheet; prick it with a fork lightly. Cut into
approx. 16-18 rectangles or squares put a tablespoon of filling on one side of each
piece and fold the other side over to cover the filling, Press down to ensure the
sides adhere together. Place on a baking tray, brush some beaten egg/milk over
the puffs, and bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes
till done.
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