Curry Puffs at Homi - Klang Valley, Malaysia

Curry puffs, as made in Malaysia and Singapore, are nothing like the samosas and other close pastries found in the rest of Asia.  The pastry is of Western influence, the fillings are Indian inspired and the cooking is rich in oil and from a hot wok. Golden brown in colour, buttery in pastry taste, always made with diced potatoes and with a spicy kick inside (normally dried chicken curry, my preference, but they can be in beef curry or sardine mix as well) Whether they are in the Restaurant Hock Seng Two in SS2 or at Mid-Valley, the first thing that captures your attention is the aroma and the swirls of texture on each piece.  I was first introduced to HOMI puffs by cousin Lai Han many years ago.

Above pictures were taken on the basement food court in the Mid-Valley Shopping Centre. The curry puffs from HOMI do not have the hard boiled egg as found in Singapore and in Sydney's Albees Kitchen, but they are tasty to the bite as well and serve as quick snacks from around one to two Ringgit per piece.  It is great to eat them with beer on a sweltering humid afternoon in Malaysia.  Such puffs are also popular for office or home parties and they have been around for at least a hundred years or more, originating from the period of British administration in Malaya.  To ensure the crispy texture, dough is carefully kneaded by hand with margarine and water and then sufficiently rested before being deep fried in hot oil.  My sister-in-law Sian Kin had demonstrated to me her own recipe.  Finely chopped red onions, chili powder and tumeric powder go to marinate the finely chopped chicken breast meat - and garnished with sugar, black pepper and salt.  Potatoes must be boiled and then diced.