Egg Puffs, or any flavor variation of it, are a magical chaya-time snack for me. It’s savory, hearty, and has the best, buttery, crunchy bite. Beyond its flavor, though, I love how it transports me to the simplest of memories. Every time Egg Puffs were around, it meant it was time for a break from the day. It meant pressing pause on everything, all to savor a few minutes of peace. Don’t you just love the foods that offer that?
This recipe seems long, but, I promise it is quite simple to make. The eggs get cooked in a thick combination of juicy tomatoes and spices. This magic gets placed on a buttered cut of puff pasty before getting baked to flaky perfection. The ways of enjoying these Egg Puffs are endless! You could fold the corners differently. You could make a tangy tamarind or cilantro chutney to drizzle on top. It’s always fun to make a recipe your own.
Like my recipe for Kerala Egg Puffs? You might also enjoy my Kerala Beef Cutlets, Banana Bonda, or my Spicy Indian Cashews. If you have any questions when making this recipe reach out to me @thefamiliarkitchen on instagram. I’d LOVE to see how it turns out for you so be sure to tag me when you make it 🙂
Kerala Egg Puffs
Ingredients
- Puff Pastry Sheets 2, thawed
- Eggs 12 eggs
- Coconut Oil 2 tbsp
- Fennel Seeds ½ tsp
- Cumin Seeds ½ tsp
- Mustard Seeds 1/4 tsp
- Curry Leaves 1 sprig
- Shallots 6 shallots, sliced
- Garlic Cloves 6, minced
- Ginger 1 ½ inch, minced
- Turmeric Powder 1 tsp
- Red Chili Powder/Cayenne 1 tsp
- Meat Masala 1 ½ tsp (or garam masala)
- Coriander Seeds 2 tsp, ground
- Black Peppercorns ¼ tsp, ground
- Tomatoes 2, medium-sized, diced
- Warm Water 1/3 cup
- Cilantro ½ cup, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Butter or Ghee 2 tbsp, melted
Instructions
Prep the eggs.
- Add water to a large cooking pot so that it is halfway full. Bring it to a rumbling boil. Once boiling, gently place all of the eggs in using a slotted spoon. Boil with the lid loosely covering the pot for 8 minutes. After the time is up, transfer the eggs to ice cold water to cool.
- Once the eggs are cooled, peel the shell off and slice the eggs in half. The yolk should be soft and slightly jammy. *You want this texture as they will cook further when we bake the puffs in the oven.
Prep the tomato base.
- Before we make the base, get your oven preset to 400 degrees F.
- In a saute pan, heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat and add the fennel, cumin, and curry leaves. Once the curry leaves begin to curl a little, add the shallots, garlic, and ginger.
- When the shallots soften up, add the turmeric, red chili powder, meat masala, coriander powder, and crushed black peppercorns. Mix well and allow to cook for about 20-30 seconds before adding in the tomatoes.
- Let the tomatoes cook for about a minute. Gently smash the tomatoes with your cooking spoon to loosen them up. Mix in the warm water and cilantro.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the eggs, yolk side up. Spoon some of the tomato sauce over the eggs to flavor the yolks. Cover the pan and let this cook for 5 more minutes before turning off the heat.
Prep and bake the puff pastry.
- Dust your work surface with flour and place one puff pastry sheet on top. With a floured rolling pin gently roll the dough just to even out the crease lines.
- Cut the pastry to make 6 rectangles. Use a fork to pierce vent holes in the center of each rectangle and then brush it all with melted butter.
- Leave about a centimeter of space around the rectangle. Place the saucy parts of the egg roast first and then place 2 egg halves per rectangle.
- You can leave as is or pull the top left and bottom right corners towards the center of the rectangle so a little flap of dough folds over as a seal. Brush the tops with more melted butter if you do this.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 min or until the puff pasty rises and turns golden. That’s it!
Made this tonight for my family and they loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂 This was actually my first time making a Kerala dish!
Also, I know mustard seeds are listed as part of the ingredients but I didn’t see it mentioned in the directions so I skipped that part.