Curry Puffs are a favorite of mine on any dim sum menu. I love the flakiness of the pastry and the simple luscious taste of the rich curry. Easy to make, I know you will like these!
Chicken Curry Puff is a dim sum standard. Perchance you've never had dim sum? Then I recommend you find a good Chinese restaurant in your area and head over one morning for brunch.
There is nothing like watching little serving carts roaming the dining room, each containing hearty bites of various morsels.
Table of contents
More About Dim Sum
Dim sum literally means, "to touch the heart" and trust me, these sweet and savory bites manage to do just that.
Dim sum originated along the Silk Road about 2500 years ago and were made as light bites to accompany tea. It became a full experience in the Canton region of China-think Hong Kong- where it became part of the yumcha experience. Yumcha means "drinking tea."
There are over 1000 kinds of dim sum and I would like to try them all. Most dishes are steamed, boiled or fried, and soup is one of the courses.
If you are in a true dim sum restaurant there are little carts that roam the floor. There are carts with steamed dumplings, veggies, noodles, fried food and even sweet baked dishes. You merely point, and then they stamp your card which is totaled at the end. Pro-tip: Try to get a table by the kitchen door so you can get the dishes that come out first.
How We Order
But perhaps what is more touching is watching large family groups dining together enjoying what may be over a hundred different dishes on the menu.
The hardest part is deciding what to choose but we have quickly learned our favorites.
We often begin with soup, ladled directly from the pot. We usually have a Chinese greens dish and then we push forward to dumplings and egg rolls and noodles.
Manservant loves the little pork rib riblets and I love baked barbeque pork buns.
In fact, I used to order three dozen at a time and take them home and try to freeze them. The kids usually got to them first, whether it was for breakfast, lunch or snacks!
Alas, my favorite place for these buns closed and I've been trying to come up with my own recipe. I've managed to perfect the filling, but the dough isn't quite what I want it to be.
So until then, I'm happy eating these flaky, golden chicken curry puffs. Sometimes made with ground beef, I prefer them with chicken. However, the choice is up to you!
New Year's Eve Dim Sum Party
This year for New Year's Eve I decided to have a dim sum party. It is always four of us and that has remained the same for about 27 years.
No, dim sum is not traditional for New Year's Eve, but it makes for a good casual spread.
We started with homemade pot stickers, continued with chicken curry puffs, and then we ate bbq pork pineapple buns.
That's another recipe where the secret lies in the dough. I keep chipping away trying to find the perfect recipe every few months!
Earlier in the day I bought a Chinese roast duck and we then sat down to enjoy duck buns and some simple stir fried noodles.
Dim sum is easy to buy and take out. There are also many frozen varieties in Asian groceries that are easily heated up.
Dessert was egg tarts, which Manservant fell in love with working all those years in China. He used to buy them at KFC!
Are chicken curry puffs dim sum?
Dim sum hails from Hong Kong and it is often thought that chicken curry puffs are a riff on British Cornish pasties.
Chicken curry puffs are found though throughout Asia, in many forms. Sometimes they are filled with sardines, and some varieties are made with sweet potatoes.
But today, I'm giving you a very simple recipe using ground chicken that is simply cooked in a skillet and then cooled before being placed upon a prepared square of puff pastry that has been thawed.
I told you, these were easy.
How To Fold Puff Pastry Into Squares
Puff pastry comes in many forms. From the Pepperidge Farm frozen version to the Jus-Rol non-frozen version found in the refrigerated case in the grocery store.
Dufour is the most highly rated and you pay for it. Pepperidge Farm is also great but lately I've been liking Jus-Rol.
This is my new fave! I always keep a roll in my refrigerator for quick appetizers. And the best part is it doesn't need to be rolled or thawed so the directions below can be ignored!
Puff pastry should always be thawed according to package directions.
It should then be rolled out on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, rolling it always away from you. Give it two or 3 rolls and then give it a quarter turn and repeat.
Now to the squares. I use this origami picture as a guide.
Take the rectangle and fold it to make a triangle. Cut off the excess.
Slice the square into 9 squares. Take the edge you cut off and slice those into squares.
Put 3 T of filling on each square and fold one point to the other to form a triangle.
Press the edges together, crimp with a fork and chill before baking.
Chicken Curry Puffs
Perfect for snacks or appetizers or even Chinese New Year, I also think these handheld pastries served for dim sum, would be great for game day watching.
They are easily reheated in a 375 oven for a few minutes or until crisp. Do not reheat in the microwave or they will become soggy.
Manservant ate all of ours for lunch and I never got to freeze any for future use.
That's OK though, because honestly, these chicken curry puffs are so easy to make, it wouldn't be hard to whip up another batch!
If you are having a dim sum party or just want to try your hand at making some dumplings, here's a few things that may come in handy.
I don't often use a steamer, but when I do I like this one
If I were ordering a new Chinese cookbook, I would order this one. Fuchsia Dunlop is incredible.
I have one of Eileen's cookbooks that I happened to get from one of those free libraries on the street. It is awesome My guess is that this one on dumplings would be also.
The first Chinese cookbook I ever owned is now hard to find. It is awesome and is quite pricey, but this is how I learned to cook Chinese food. It is still a classic that I refer to often.
I'd love to hear if you make this recipe!
Please share a review or rate the recipe,
and be sure to tag me on social!
Recipe
Chicken Curry Puffs (A Dim Sum Favorite)
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes*
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 18 puffs 1x
- Category: Appetizers/Snacks
- Method: Stovetop/Baking
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Chicken Curry Puffs in puff pastry are easy to make. Crispy and flaky, these make great snacks, appetizers or even lunch!
Ingredients
3 T canola oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground chicken
2 T curry powder
1 ½ t turmeric
½ t ground cumin
¼ t sugar
¼ t fresh ground black pepper
1 t salt
⅔ c chicken broth
1 T cornstarch
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with 1 T water to make an egg wash
Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent.
Add the ground chicken, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook until no pink remains and the juice has simmered away.
Add the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, sugar, pepper and salt. Stir the mixture together and cook for a few minutes.
While that is cooking, make a slurry of the cornstarch with the broth. Whisk well. and stir into the chicken mixture, until everything has thickened. The mixture is ready when there is no liquid pooling in the pan. Take off heat and let cool. You can even refrigerate this and use it the next day.
While chicken is cooling, take the puff pastry from freezer and remove from package. Defrost about 35 minutes. Unfold each sheet and cut each into 9 squares.
Spoon about 3 T of filling onto each square and fold diagonally to form a triangle. Press the edges together and crimp with a fork.
Using two baking sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat liner, place puff pastry triangles on baking sheets.
When the puffs are formed, refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. When puffs have chilled, brush with egg wash before placing in oven. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden, one sheet at a time.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes before eating. They will be hot! These reheat well in a toaster oven or air fryer.
Notes
Adapted from The Woks of Life.
This mixture is also good on a bun, in a burrito, in a taco or even on baked potatoes!
See post for how to make puff pastry into squares.
*Does not include cooling time.
More Dim Sum Favorites
Kathy Kaye says
I've tried these a couple of times now. My family loves them. I make extra to freeze. Thaw and bake when I want them.
Abbe says
I think keeping them in the freezer is a great idea!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Love curry! And really like dim sum, although it's been ages since I've had any. These curry puffs looks great -- easy to make, even easier to eat. 🙂
sherry says
there's somthing so charming and delightful about small hand-held items of pastry, isn't there? and chicken curry ones sound wonderful. Yum!
Abbe says
And Australia has many, don't they? Here not so much, but I think it is starting to happen. Which I'm very happy about!
Lea Ann (Cooking OnLea The Ranch) says
I want everyone of these hand held foods! They all look delish.
Abbe says
They are Lea Ann! Thanks!
Jeff the Chef says
Can you believe I've never had dim sum? I can't. I sure wouldn't mind starting with these puffs.
Abbe says
Jeff you need to change this. Chinatown has some wonderful spots! And you will love the curry puffs!
Holly says
Sounds like a wonderful plan for a New Year's Eve Party and great food to have to ring in the new year!
Abbe says
It was a lot of fun Holly! I think it makes perfect late night food!
Mimi says
Well these look really yummy! The only thing I miss from when we visit my daughter in NYC, besides my daughter, is dumplings. We always go have dim sum, and then I’m dreaming about it for weeks.
Abbe says
I am guessing NYC has some great dim sum joints!They would be lots of fun to check out!
angiesrecipes says
Wish I could reach in and grab one to try! They look fantastic!
Abbe says
Thanks Angie!
Gerlinde @ Sunnycovechef says
I have a problem with dim sum, my eyes are always bigger than my stomach. I like your curry chicken puffs. Pinned!
Abbe says
Isn't that the truth? But then I take it home! Thanks Gerlinde!
Juthika says
What's the size of each pastry puff square? Cutting my puff pastry sheet into 9 is going to give me odd shaped rectangles haha
Abbe says
Hi Juthika. I would aim for about a 3 to 4" pastry square. You may not need as much filling in these! Keep in mind that giving directions really depends on the brand of puff pastry you are using. Puff pastry is very forgiving as long as you chill it before baking and don't overroll.