Fusion Platter

A blend of tasty food and culture

Veg Puffs ⎪ How to make veg puffs from scratch

Back home I loved having curry/veg puffs on a Sunday morning with my tea. I looked high and low for them in Paris but never found success. All I got was Crossiants or Pain au Chocolat the traditional french breakfast. Though I love the latter, being an Indian I crave for something spicy and savoury for breakfast like Semolina pancakes or chilli cheese toast. Making puffs was not going to be a piece of cake if I had to make my own pastry but my cooking experience was delightful and my veg puffs turned out really well as a first timer and beginner. I’m thrilled to share this recipe with all of you and can’t wait to hear from you.

Veg Puffs ⎪ How to make veg puffs from scratch

Course: Breakfast
Cooking time

25

minutes
Prep Time

12

minutes

Ingredients

  • Puff Pastry
  • 750 g all purpose flour

  • 400 g of butter

  • 250 ml of water

  • salt to taste

  • 1/2 a lime

  • Veg filling
  • 1 cup chopped veggies of your choice ( carrots, french beans, green peas)

  • 1 medium boiled potato

  • 1 small onion finely chopped

  • 2 green chillies

  • 2 tsp ginger garlic paste

  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

  • 1 tsp red chilli powder

  • 1 tsp garam masala

  • 1 tsp cumin powder

  • 1 tsp coriander powder

  • salt to taste

  • 2 tbsps of oil

  • few sprigs of chopped coriander

  • For Baking
  • 1 beaten egg/ 1 tsp butter

Directions

  • Making the puff pastry
  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together 3 tbsps of all purpose flour, lemon juice and 350g butter. ( butter should be cold ) *Read tips
  • When you get a hard block of butter dough, shape it into a square, kling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour
  • Now take the remaining flour in another large mixing bowl, add in salt and approimately 200 – 250 ml of water and knead to a smooth, soft dough.
  • Wrap it up and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • After 1 hour remove both the doughs. Dust some flour on your kneading table and place the dough on it. Roll it a little, enough to accommodate the butter dough inside.
  • Now place the butter dough inside, wrap up the sides.
  • Kling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • Now after 2 hours, remove the piece of dough from the fridge, dust some flour on the kneading table and roll out a flat 1 inch thick pastry. (*Read tips)
  • Bring the ends to the center and fold the dough.
  • Wrap it up and refrigerate for another 2 hours.
  • Before you begin : let the folded part of the dough face you just like a notebook.
  • Again dust some flour on the kneading table, roll out 1 inch thick pastry.
  • Bring the ends to the center, fold again, kling wrap and refrigerate for another 2 hours.
  • Repeat the same process 6 times after every 2 hours. ( step no. 11, 12, 13)
  • Now cut the dough into 3 equal portions and keep them kling wrapped and refrigerated for later use. I have used 1 portion for veg puffs, the other one for chicken puffs and the last for pizza swirl puffs.
  • Making the filling/stuffing
  • Heat some oil in a pan and fry onions until translucent, then add in the ginger garlic paste and chopped green chillies. Fry until the raw smell goes away.
  • Add in all the dry spice powders and saute for 2-3 mins.
  • Now add in all the veggies amd continue to saute for a while
  • Then add the mashed, boiled potatoes to it and mix well. Garnish with some chopped coriander and allow the mixture to cool down. Your stuffing is ready.
  • Making the veg puffs
  • Take one portion of the dough and roll out 1 cm thick pastry.
  • Trim the ends to make a perfect rectangle and cut into 6 equal portions.
  • Place 1-2 spoons of stuffing on the pastry sheet and fold to close the ends.
  • Brush the pastries with egg from top and place them in a pre-heated oven of 200°C for 25- 30 mins.
  • Serve hot with tomato sauce or just have it plain with your cup of coffee or tea.

Tips

  1. The key to making a good puff pastry is to keep everything cold. Do not allow the butter/dough to come to room temperature or soften at any cost. If it does, put back the ingredients into the fridge and continue after a while.
  2. I cubed the butter and used a hand blender for quick whisking. Grating the butter can also be an option but make sure that your butter is nice and hard before you begin.
  3. To get flaky and layered pastry folds, it’s important to turn the folded part towards you each time you roll it out.
  4. You can store the pastry dough in your refrigerator for upto 4 days and in your freezer upto a month.
  5. If the oven is not hot enough, the pastry may turn soggy. So make sure the oven is well heated up.
  6. Do not over stuff the pastry with the filling or the pastry may turn soggy. Less is more in this case.
  7. Do not leave the puffs in the oven after the desired time. Remove immediately and allow to cool off naturally.