Goan Patties/Puffs

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.

1. Beef/Chicken Mince cooked with onions, and some green Cafreal masala
2. Goan Sausages cooked with onions and potatoes
3. Shredded boneless chicken and grated cheese mixed with some thick béchamel sauce
4. Prawn  Chilly Fry
5. Boiled egg, halved, with salt and pepper
6. Cocktail sausages
7. 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.