The curry puff is the snack Singapore reaches for between meals, sold at bakeries, food stalls in shopping centers and the pasar malam, the night markets. A short, buttery pastry is folded around a thick, dry curry of potato and chicken, crimped into a rope along the edge, and fried or baked until golden, and in Singapore a slice of hard boiled egg is usually tucked into the middle. It is believed to have developed in maritime Southeast Asia from several parents at once, the Cornish pasty, the Portuguese empanada and the Indian samosa, which makes it a fitting emblem of a city that has never seen the point of choosing one cuisine when it could have all of them.

Some versions use a laminated spiral pastry that takes a practiced hand; ours uses a simple butter pastry that any beginner can roll, and gives you the choice of frying or baking. Either way, they are made to be eaten standing up, warm from a paper bag, which is exactly how they should be eaten during a night race.

The curry filling

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 1/2 tablespoons meat curry powder
• 8 oz (225 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lb (450 g) starchy potatoes, such as russet
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs

Method

1. Put the eggs in the small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and leave for 10 minutes, then cool them in cold water, peel and cut each into 8 thin wedges.
2. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add the curry paste and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and stir for 2 minutes until it turns opaque. Add the potato, salt, sugar and water, stir, cover and cook over medium low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not stick.
4. Take off the lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, lightly crushing some of the potato with the spoon, until the mixture is thick and dry. Taste for salt. Spread it on a plate and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes, or chill it.

The butter pastry

Ingredients

• 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (170 g) cold unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• about 1/3 cup (80 ml) ice water

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in the large bowl. Add the butter and work it in with the pastry blender, a fork, or your fingertips, lifting and rubbing the flour and butter together until no large lumps remain. In a food processor, pulse 10 to 12 times.
2. Add the beaten egg and 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the ice water and stir with a fork. Add more water a teaspoon at a time just until the dough holds together when squeezed. Press it into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Dust the counter and rolling pin with flour. Roll half the dough out about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and cut out rounds with the cutter. Gather the scraps, reroll once and cut more. Repeat with the other half. You should have about 16 rounds.
4. Hold a round in your palm and put a heaped tablespoon of filling and a wedge of egg in the center. Fold it in half into a half moon and press the edges firmly together. Starting at one end, pinch a little of the edge between your thumb and finger, fold it over onto itself, and repeat all along the edge to make a twisted rope. Set the puffs on the lined baking sheet.

Frying or baking

Ingredients

• about 6 cups (1.4 liters) neutral oil for deep frying
• 1 large egg

Method

1. Heat 2 1/2 inches (6 cm) of oil in the deep saucepan to 340°F (170°C). Fry 3 or 4 puffs at a time for 5 to 6 minutes, turning them once or twice with the slotted spoon. Drain on the wire rack. Keep the pan filled no more than one third full and never leave it unattended.
2. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the puffs all over with the egg and milk and bake on the lined sheet for 22 to 25 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through.
3. Let the puffs cool for 5 minutes before eating; the filling inside stays very hot.

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